Vines and Thorns
by LilMissFerret
Summary: Hermione has kept her secret for 11 years, and with the kids off to school it emerges. Everything has to change. HG/DM HG/RW Mostly cannon. Follows the next gen. and the originals.
1. The Beginning in the End

**A.N. Hello all! Welcome to my newest Harry Potter piece, _Vines and Thorns_. As always don't expect updates often or at a regular pace. I'm in college now (which really sucks) so it can get in the way sometimes. I have six chapters done, so I will be posting one a week until I run out, and I'll be writing whenever I can. Questions, comments, and ideas are always welcome. The Prologue is just some back ground information, you don't have to read it, but you might get confused when Fred turns up out of nowhere later on. Or Jaz and Cas... Anywho, enjoy!**

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><p>Prologue – The Beginning in the End<p>

Once upon a time the Weasley family had been small. Arthur came from a family of three, as did Molly. Sadly, Molly had lost both of her older brothers in the first war, and would have been very lost without the rest of her family. Arthur's brothers went off; the eldest lived in America and the younger one in Asia. They rarely visited, except on important dates.

A year after they'd been married they had tiny Bill, a tiny tuft of red hair on the top of his head. Like clockwork they continued to expand their family. The three eldest boys knew their uncles, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, but they were killed just a few months short of the twins' birth. Fred and George were named after their late uncles. Determined to have a daughter before she stopped having children, they kept at it. Ron and Ginny joined them shortly afterwards. Content with her seven children, Molly sat back and awaited her grandchildren.

Bill and Fleur had graced her with young Victoire. The girl was just as pretty as her mother, all blond and blue eyed. She had just the touch of freckles over her nose. Dominique was just as lovely, some three years younger than her sister, but her hair was a pale strawberry blonde and waved ever so slightly. Where Victoire was sweet and calm, Dominique had a touch of the Prewett temper that came through her. Louis, at only seven, was chipper and energetic as all little boys are. His hair was the precise shade of his father's, but he had inherited the darker blue of his mother's eyes.

Charlie still wasn't married, and Molly thought that perhaps he never would. He dated now and then, but girls came second to his beloved dragons.

Percy's girls were just as intelligent as their father, but they were a little nicer, mostly because of Audrey's soothing temper. Molly was perhaps the exact opposite of her namesake. She had bright green eyes and chestnut colored hair, and little Lucy was blue eyed and had the tight red curls of her father. Lucy was shy, and rarely spoke up. She often got left out of the mess of cousins.

Horrified and distraught after the accident that had left Fred in a hospital bed, suspended in a magical coma, Angelina Johnson came forward that she had been seeing Fred for quite some time. This didn't shock the family, but her surprise did. Shortly before the battle of Hogwarts, Angelina had conceived twins. Jasper and Caspar were the oldest of the grandchildren, the spitting image of their father and uncle.

George had found love in Katie Bell, and when their first born, a red headed boy, had been born on the first of April, they had promptly named the baby Fred II. The original Fred seemed very happy with this arrangement upon waking from his coma, nearly two years after his birth. Roxanne, or Roxie, was the current baby of the family, having just turned four in May. Both her, and her brother, were tormentors of the Weasley crowd, and both were brown eyed red heads.

Ron and Hermione dated immediately following the war, but quickly broke up. It had been something mutual, and it had little effect on the family as a whole. They reconciled some few months before Rose was conceived and got married quickly before her birth. Rose and Hugo were unlike the rest of the family, although Molly had always thought it was because of Hermione's upbringing. Both children were sweet, but they were sneaky and a little entitled. They tended to be the leaders. Rose had the softest hair, thin and silky. It curled like her mother's, but not quite as bushy, and was the color of her father's hair. She too, had blue eyes. Hugo's hair had the same silky texture, which he liked to leave just long enough to brush in front of his big brown eyes, and it was a pale brown that had been blond when he was a baby.

Ginny and Harry's children were the perfect blend of both of their parents. James had black hair and deep brown eyes; Lily was a miniature of her mother, and Al a mini Harry. James was the prankster, and best of friends with little Fred. Lily was daddy's little princess, and had her father wrapped around many of her tiny fingers. Al was a loner for the most part, shy and quiet, he was also Rose's tag-along.

Luna's sons, Lorcan and Lysander (Lorie and Lye), dear Teddy, and clumsy Addie Longbottom were their step-grandchildren. And Molly loved them dearly, so when summer approached the end and school was about to start, Molly had thrown together a family reunion of sorts, a goodbye party for those going off to school the following week.

The family, all thirty seven of them, gathered around the Burrow. They celebrated the family, the food, the happiness that everything had worked out well in the end. Only this wasn't the end, but a whole new beginning.


	2. Glimpses

**A.N.****So this is the real first chapter. Hope you like it.**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1 – Glimpses<strong>_

_"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you. But no pressure,"_ he'd told her. Rose had laughed with her father, knowing good and well that he would never do such a thing. She had climbed on the train impatiently, eager to start her new life, a new adventure. Al tagged along behind her. He was nervous, and he liked to stay close.

It wasn't that she would really have to protect him. She would if she _had_ to, he was her favorite cousin after all, but she wouldn't have to. She could glare down anyone, except for her grandmother and mother, even Teddy didn't get in her way. Not that she did that often, her family was nice enough, and they didn't often do things that warranted such an action form her. Here things would be different, she just knew it.

Dragging her trunk and mumbling to Al, Rose made her way towards a nice looking compartment. It was empty and far enough away from the bathroom. No one wants to sit next to a toilet, not even if it's the magical kind that Vanishes everything when you flush. It's nasty.

**o.O.o**

The train ride was uneventful and extremely boring, not that he hadn't been warned. Scorpius had brought along his newest book and had settled down to read, ignoring his frightfully ignorant companions. Very few people talked to the Malfoy's often, so this crowd, the latest generation of Slytherins; Natasha Zabini, Colten Mulciber, Zander Nott, and a few other he liked even less; were some of the few he could count among his friends, though that gave them to much credit.

At last the train slid to a stop, and as everyone else strutted forward, Scorpius climbed on top of his seat and went to put his book back. None of the others had waited on him, and he forced back a moment of anger. His mother had an awful temper, as did his grandfather, but he preferred to be a little held back. There was no point really, getting angry wouldn't solve anything.

Hopping down from the cushion, Scorpius exited the compartment. The corridor was full, and the crowd didn't seem to be moving, much to one girl's, ah, disappointment.

Ahead he could see the red headed girl. Although her voice was steady and smooth, the anger, the _threat_, in it was tremendous. "You would think that you'd have to know how to walk to get into Hogwarts, wouldn't you, Al?" she asked glancing at him quickly and then continuing her rant. "Honestly, is it so hard to move their bloody arses?"

The black haired boy beside her, nearly a head shorter than she was, winced, "Rosie, you aren't supposed to say words like that."

She cocked an eyebrow at the boy, "Really, _cousin_, since when have you been my mother?" venom dripped from the words. "And _don't_ call me 'Rosie'!"

"S-sorry, Rose," he stammered. He shut up quickly, which was probably incredibly smart on his part.

When the crowd finally started to thin out, she turned back to him, grinning broadly. "It's all right. I know you always have to be the good one."

Scorpius chuckled at her quick change in mood, and the fiery devil turned immediately to face him. "What?" she spat at him.

"That was amazing, you know. Very, ah, brave of you to scream at the entire train filled with people."

"Well we are going to be in Gryffindor, she might as well be brave!" said the tiny boy.

Shaking his head, Scorpius brushed passed them, "No way in hell, Potter."

**o.O.o**

"Adkins, Brandon," the young witch said, holding the tattered old hat that had just finished its song about family bonds and unity and love.

The dark haired boy rushed forward and took the hat. He sat there on the three-legged stool before the hat finally shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bradley, Justine." On and on it went. Perhaps it was just because they were in a stretch of peace, but the wizarding population at expanded several times over in the last two decades. Rose remembered her mother once telling her that their class only had forty people in it when they started, this years' must have had close to a hundred.

She watched as the blond boy, Scorpius as her father had called him, was placed in Slytherin House, although the hat took a bit to decide. Several more people went up and were placed before Al got to go. When the lady had called him, "Potter, Albus", the entire hall burst into whispers and cheers. A few Slytherins were sneering in disgust. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted almost at once. Al sighed happily and handed the hat back before joining the four stomping and shouting Weasleys.

After standing for what felt like three hours, with her legs slowly turning to jelly, she was called. "Weasley, Rose." She strutted up the two steps and over to the stool. Using every bit of grace she had, Rose seated herself and placed the tired bit of fabric over her head.

"_Ah, so like your father," _the hat whispered fondly in her ear, "_but you also have your mother's courage."_

"Hurry it up, why don't you?" she thought. "It's not like I have all day you know."

"_It would cause a scandal, yes, but you very much belong in your father's house."_

"Well, of course. All the Weasleys are Gryffindors," she thought, confused.

"_Oh, yes, a scandal in deed," _it whispered, before shouting to the hall. "SLYTHERIN!"

The silence was deafening. A _Weasley_ in Slytherin? A half-blood. The daughter of two-thirds of the Golden Trio was in Slytherin House. Scandal wasn't the half of it.

**o.O.o**

Scorpius choked on his own words. He had been trying to tell Colten about his newest broom, when Rose was called up. He listened with half an ear as she was sorted. "Did that piece of rubbish just put a Weasley in here with us?" Zander asked, his lip curled up in disgust. "A blood traitor like her?"

Scorpius smirked. He knew it. He had sensed it in her the moment she opened her mouth, he'd grown up around too many Slytherins not to pick one out in a crowd. No one at the table clapped, many were too shocked to do anything, and others were groaning or complaining. The older ones really seemed to dislike it. The girl on the other hand looked like she might cry for a moment. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she kept staring at the crowd that was her family. Then she closed her eyes for half a second.

When she opened them they were dry, the tears gone. Her gaze was powerful, and she dared anyone to cross her. She shifted that powerful gaze to the table that would now be hears, far from the one she wanted. Rose caught his eye, and he saw the little bit of pain she couldn't hide. Still smirking he made a slight movement with his hand and nodded to the seat beside him, before turning to finish his conversation.

**o.O.o**

Dinner was an awful affair. Rose sat and met the other Slytherins. They continued to mutter and shot her evil looks, but only when Scorpius wasn't paying attention. He didn't seem to notice that they were intimidated. They wouldn't say anything to her, not if it risked losing his company.

Rose, herself, felt appreciative of him. Her father had complained about the Malfoys her entire life. She had heard nothing but bad things about his parents and grandparents. Scorpius accepted her, at least enough so that he wouldn't leave her floundering. Scorpius seemed to spend most of energies talking to her. They seemed to understand each other on a deeper level than anyone else she had ever met. Unlike Al, or her other cousins, Scorpius thought like she did, they even sat the same way.

Rose turned away from this new group she was stuck in and looked to the Gryffindor table. They seemed perfectly normal, happy. They chattered amongst themselves, introducing Al to the others. Her heart clenched, her whole being ached. Her family was acting as if nothing was wrong, as if her whole life didn't get upended in five minutes. But they were fine, their perfect lives just as perfect as they had always been.

Rose sneered and turned from them. If she wasn't important enough for them, they weren't important to her.

Scorpius snorted at something Natasha said, and turned back to Rose. "Did you hear that, Rose?"

She shook her head slightly, a strand of curling hair falling in her face. The red color mocked her. "Nah, what was it?"

Pushing all thoughts of family aside, Rose focused on the girl. She laughed in all the right places and tried to be genuinely interested.

**o.O.o**

Across the hall the Gryffindors were shoving away their plates and stretching. Full stomachs were making them sleepy, but they had much to discuss. At the table they really couldn't discuss the Rose situation without everyone else getting involved. They'd put on brave faces and tried to make Al feel a bit better. None of them looked at Rose.

Victoire, as a Prefect, had to lead the first years up to the dorms, and Al had to go with them. The rest, after catching the new password, waved over Molly, and went to find an empty classroom. James dug into his interior pocket and pulled out a folded square of parchment. Victoire took that and skipped off with the others.

Fred was saying chatting up a girl, Mai, from the year above them. She was his sometimes girlfriend. "Oi, Fred, time to go!" he said, grabbing his taller cousin by the scruff of his neck. "Nice seeing you, Reynolds."

The redhead saluted her with a wicked grin and tugged his robes out of James's grasp.

The four of them found their way to an empty classroom on the seventh floor. They lit the candles and pulled up chairs in a circle. That sat in silence for the most part, staring at their feet or the walls. The door creaked open and Victoire led Al into the circle.

The six of them sat. Bringing their eyes up to meet each other, they didn't know what to say, or how to say it. It wasn't so much that Rose was in another house, Percy's daughter Molly was in Ravenclaw after all, it was the fact that that other house happened to be Slytherin. They were the mortal enemies of the Gryffindors. How could they bridge the gap between the ones they hated and a member of their own family?

So they talked, and talked, and talked, until it was way past midnight, but none of them came up with anything helpful, and they all felt worse for it.

**o.O.o**

Rose followed the other Slytherins through the Entrance Hall and down into the depths of the dungeon. The prefect in front of them stopped when they reached a dead end, a blank stretch of gray stone. He told them the password, and the first years were a bit awed as the wall shrank back, opening to the darkened common room.

This room was eerily beautiful, green light trickling through the high windows. It was cool and dark and so very different. Scorpius _dismissed_ the others that were following them, and led her to a tiny back table.

They sat, and Rose had to fight to meet those shining eyes. "I don't mean to seem, ah, _rude_, but I told you so." He smirked brightly.

"_Shut up, Malfoy," _she hissed, glaring at him.

He snorted. "That glare isn't going to work on me, _Rosie_."

She growled at him, and moved to get up. "Fine, be that way. I have better things to do."

"Ah, Rose, come now. You aren't really angry with me, you're angry 'cause that stupid hat stuck you in here instead of with your family."

Rose stood, turned her back to him, and tossed back her long red hair. "Do not, _ever_, presume to tell me what I am feeling, Scorpius."

His eyebrow quirked, "Is that a threat?"

"A bit, yes."

He laughed. "What did the Sorting Hat tell you?"

She turned back to him, blue eyes sparkled. "It said that I was very much like my father, and that I belonged in his house. This house."

His eyes widened slightly, just enough to show his surprise. "But – "

"I know, Scorpi, I know what that means." Tears welled up in her eyes. If the hat could be trusted, her whole life was a lie. "Who am I?" she whispered, looking up at him. Their eyes locked and Scorpius watched as the ocean blue eyes swirled, growing both lighter and darker all at the same time, until they were shining back at him.

"Rose, I-I think you should look in the mirror."

"What? Why?" she asked, tears trickling down her freckled cheeks.

He pointed to the huge mirror on the wall across the room. She followed his arm, spinning to look behind her. From the distance she knew something was wrong. Rose stepped forward until she was face to face with the mirror, her face had taken one simple change, and now it felt alien to her. The bright, light blue eyes she had become accustomed to, her father's eyes were gone, replaced with the eyes of the boy behind her.

The swirling silver orbs dug deep into her soul, their piercing nature cutting quick into every fiber of her being. The world spun around her and grew dark as she faded into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard before letting the dark consume her was Scorpius's voice, shouting her name.

"_Rose!"_


	3. Disruptions

**A.N. Hello all! I know this is a little earlier than expected, but apparently I did not stress the point to the Granger Enchanted website that this story is about Draco and Hermione, and got turned down. So here I am, trying to make myself feel better. I do have to warn you all, you may not like Draco in this story at all, but please remember, its been 19 years. That's a pretty decent length of time for someone to change. In the first few chapters he seems to take everything in stride, but that really isn't the case. It's more of the shock factor, I'd say, but we'll explore that come Chapter 7 or so. And I really do hate Ron, so Ron-lovers beware. This story isn't pleasant for him. I also went and changed a few things to the first chapter, because my math skills are apparently just as good as JK Rowling herself! So, just so you know, Percy's daughter Molly IS at Hogwarts as well, she just happens to be a Ravenclaw. And I didn't even realize until I was rereading the chart full of birthdays .**

**Well that's about all I have to say. Enjoy!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Disruptions<strong>

For the most part it had been a normal evening, aside from the obvious lack of Rose. Hermione had been very strong at the station, she was quite happy and proud for her beautiful daughter, but the moment she'd walked into the house she'd went to her daughter's bedroom and cried softly for a while.

Her little baby had grown up mighty fast, and her younger brother was right behind her. Soon she'd have no one left. A pang in her heart reminded her of her youth, when she had imagined having three or four children, maybe more, to keep her children from the loneliness she had felt as a child. But there was no hope of that now.

When her pain and misery finally subsided she left the comforts of the lavender room, and retreated to the kitchen to start dinner. Everything had went smoothly after that, at least until the fire place had roared to life.

"'Mione!" Ron shouted from the living room where he and Hugo had been playing chess. "Professor McGonagall is here!"

Hermione startled a bit, placed the dish back into the sink and entered the next room, drying her hands as she went. "Ron, stop all this shouting. What are you, a child?" she scolded before turning to their guest. "Hello, Professor, is anything wrong? Is Rose okay?"

The woman hadn't softened much with age. She looked sternly as ever. "Miss Granger, perhaps the boy…"

Her brown eyes widened. "Of-of course Professor. " Turning to the boy still seated on the couch, Hermione said, "Hugo, darling, go up to your room. And shut the door. I'll come up to get you in a bit."

He shrugged and slid off the couch. "Sure, Mum."

The boy went up the stairs and the three adults stood quietly and waited for the door to close. When it did, both Hermione and Ron turned eagerly to their old teacher, none of them aware of the little boy at the top of the stairs.

**o.O.o**

Hugo was very intrigued by the strict old lady appearing in his living room shorty after dinner. He knew that this woman was the Headmistress at Hogwarts, and he wanted to know whether something had happened to his sister.

It wasn't his father he had to worry about, but his mother. She expected him to be sneaky like this, but she was also worried, and wouldn't come and check on him. So, he had dragged his feet and slammed his bedroom door, not that he'd really entered it. Instead he crept silently on his toes and perched at the top of the stairs.

"Did something happened?" his mother asked. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, I assure you she is quite all right. She is quite shocked though, I assure you."

Hermione starred between her husband and the teacher. "She made Slytherin then?" the teacher nodded. "Oh, my poor baby! How did she take it? She didn't cry did she?"

"No, no. She went and sat with young Mister Malfoy. She took it quite well I'd say." The lady shifted a bit and Hugo knew she had something else to say. Something important. "I'm afraid that after everyone was sent off to bed, however, she must have found out something shocking. She fainted you see, but the prefects got her up and to the hospital wing. She's going to have to sit out of classes tomorrow though, distraught, the poor girl."

"Did you speak to her? Does she look any different?" Hugo thought that was a strange question. Did going to school make you look different? The lady shook her head. "She gave Poppy a good telling to, she did. Said that unless she was in trouble she had no use for teachers asking her loads of questions, and that the only one allowed to visit was Scorpius."

"Not even Al? Oh, she must have found out something then. Can I speak with her?"

"I—"

"Hermione," his father said, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. She nodded. "All right, Ron, all right. Floo me immediately, won't you Professor? If anything else happens."

"Of course." She cleared her throat. "I must be going now, seems as though you have much to discuss."

They said their farewells, and the teacher disappeared through the fireplace. Stretching silently, Hugo made to return to his bedroom when his mother spun around, tears in her eyes.

**o.O.o**

Ron scowled at the floor. He hated this, the pain and torture he put himself through every day for the last eleven years, but he hated to see Hermione in pain more. When she had showed up on his doorstep crying all of those years ago he'd pulled her close and held her for a while. Of course he'd been angry, furious with her, that she'd gotten knocked up with _his_ spawn.

He'd told her to stay for a few days, and they would find out something together. He'd help her. Wide eyed, scared, and heartbroken she accepted. It took him three days, three days of a puking sleepy Hermione who went from being angry to destroyed in five minutes to solidify his resolve.

Here was his answer to every question he had been asking himself for the last few weeks. Wrapped up in a package he still loved very much. He'd vowed to forget about _him_ and think of Hermione and her new baby, the baby he would make his own.

Perhaps it was foolish to put so little faith in Hermione's tendency to love so passionately. She set up so many rules to ensure that someday, a day he never thought would come, she could go back to take her baby back, to where she thought they belonged. It hurt, but he agreed anyway.

When little Rose had been born he'd been so happy, and he was so excited he forgot that she wasn't his, would never be his. She was bald, but so perfect. An angel in her own right, until she started screaming. Hermione soothed her, an instant mother, whispering to her gently, and tears pouring from her eyes. Rose was too young to really tell, but he was sure she was looking for some resemblance to _him_ in the beautiful little girl.

Now that baby, his baby girl, had grown up and went off to school, and, if Hermione had her way, he would lose the family he had held onto for so long. A family he didn't really belong to.

"'Mione," he started, but she cut him off.

"Please don't, Ron. I don't think I can take it right now. I need-I need to think." She paced frantically about the room, straightening things as she went. She was nervous and upset, and there was nothing he could do. He slumped, defeated, into an armchair.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, but he already knew the answer.

She stopped, a throw pillow clasp in her hands, "I-I don't know. If Rose finds out, Hugo is bound to. She won't keep something like this from him, or anyone else. But if-if they know then he should know too… Don't you think?"

He raised his eyes from the floor and looked at her closely. Hope shone in her eyes. "He's married, Hermione. Not like us, but for real. That's not going to change."

She didn't even flinch. "How can you possibly know? He _hates_ her."

"He has a kid with her though. Will he abandon his son? Would you let him?"

A smug little smile crept over her lips. "I reviewed all of the paperwork years ago. She can't take Scorpius anymore than you can take Rose and Hugo."

The shattered mess that was his heart hurt. "Rose and Hugo are mine, Hermione, whether you like it or not. I'm the one who's always been here."

"Ron, please, that's not what I meant," she sighed, looking tired. "I know how much they love you, and how much you care for them."

"But you're still going to leave me, and go crawling back to that slimy git." He balled up his fists. "He doesn't deserve all this, 'Mione."

"No, he doesn't. I shouldn't have taken off without even telling him. It's been too long; he's missed their entire childhoods. He never got to hold his own children, Ron, because you did it for him." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "You don't deserve this mess either, Ron."

"It was my idea."

She nodded. "I know, and I'm glad you did. But I shouldn't have gone along with it. I'm only going to keep hurting you."

"Are you going to go see him tomorrow?" She nodded. "Where is that god forsaken manor at, again?"

"Wiltshire."

**o.O.o**

Hugo had heard all he wanted to. None of it had been good; his life was a mess of lies. He didn't stop to be quiet, but stood quickly and stomped to his bedroom. They must have heard him, and the slamming door.

He collapsed on his bed, letting himself cry for a bit. There was no harm in it if no one was around, right? His mother would be in any minute, but it didn't matter to him anymore.

"Hugo?" she called, lightly rapping on the door. "Darling, I'm coming in, okay?" She paused, but when he didn't answer she cracked open the door. "Hu-Oh, my."

He looked up at her, glaring really. "What?"

"Oh, Hugo, I'm so sorry. You weren't supposed to find out this way." She reached for him, but he pulled away. "I can explain."

"_No!_ Just go, get out!"

"Hugo, please. This isn't so bad, really."

He looked at her. "_Go._" And finally she did, whispering how sorry she was, and that she would fix everything she could.

When the door closed, Hugo sighed. Then he rolled back onto his bed and focused on the dresser against the far wall. He caught his reflection in its mirror. He gasped at his appearance, and jumped from the bed.

**o.O.o**

Dinner ended without flourish, and the Malfoys split off in separate direction, just as they always did. Draco himself went off to his study and shut the door. He propped his feet up on his desk, sipped on his drink, and stared at the roaring fire.

His gaze drifted to the assorted things that littered his desk and walls. When he was younger he had known what his life would be like, assuming he lived through the war and his family was intact. He stayed clear of Astoria at all cost while in school, which had turned out to be quite a bad decision, as he could have better prepared himself for their horrendous marriage. He had to father an heir with said crazy bint, and had accepted that duty with a bit more grace. She was attractive, after all.

He never intended to be so excited about the prospect of a child, but his mother's enthusiasm had been contagious. Astoria didn't care much one way or the other, except when she wanted to complain about how awful being pregnant was, and how she would never go through it again.

He even poured over books of the stars trying to find the perfect name. Then he'd found the books of mythology and searched those as well. His father would have thought him mad, had he been around then. And when he wasn't planning for his son, Draco was fighting to bring his father home. He'd called on her because she was the best; she was the best at everything, always.

The years that separated them from the war had done wonders on the both of them. He had a greater respect for life, since he had faced death so many times in his young life. Court appointed counseling might have helped a bit too. She was happier than he'd ever seen her, which wasn't saying much, but she was free and important, and she was changing the world. He envied that a bit at the time, and later he enjoyed it.

They worked together for months, succeeded in their work, and then she vanished. It destroyed him for a very long time, but he forgave her, he had too. He wrote to her for months, but after a while her responses acquired a sad tone, like she wanted to share something but couldn't. Eventually she stopped answering him all together, but he still wrote.

They came together a few times over the years, and as they grew older he became more and more aware that her freedom had left her. She was trapped in a marriage that didn't look happy from his point of view. And she was so focused on those kids of hers, the ones that pained him to look at.

Draco huffed, throwing his feet down with a loud thud. He placed the glass on the table and walked to the fireplace. On the mantle he kept an ornate box, an antique from Turkey, full of treasures from the few months they had spent together. He grabbed the box and retreated back to the desk where he shifted through the years to a time when he was happy.


	4. Confessions

**A.N. Ooh I've been itching to post this chapter for days! Thanks so much to everyone who has left a comment, even those who don't exactly agree with where I'm taking this. I kind of jumped the gun on Chapter 2's Author's Note, because I thought I was talking about this chapter. Oops. So yes, this is where Draco just kind of goes with the flow, which is weird and even I think it's OOC. And will get another look at poor Ron. Whether you believe me or not, I know this is an awful position for him to be in. I'm sorry, Hermione's sorry, but I'm still not sure how Ron will feel about all of this in the end... I don't think he'll be sorry that he got eleven years to raise two children that he loves dearly, even with the pain and heartache it's caused him.**

**I _really_ like this chapter though, especially the end of Hermione's confession. Their little perfect moment before the rest of the world find out what's going on.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Confessions<strong>

Hermione strode nervously up the pebbled path. The day was dark and gray, but it had yet to rain. Ron had refused to come with her out of principal, and had elected to stay behind with Hugo, who still refused to speak.

This had to come out, at least between the two of them. People would know. Hugo was too angry to let her replace her charms and Rose was too curious.

Skirting her way around _another_ white peacock, she glanced up at the huge home. She absolutely hated this building, just seeing it gave her shivers, but she also loved it.

Malfoy Manor had always been gorgeous with its slightly Gothic style. It was ancient, placed on top of a hill, and was surrounded be beautiful gardens and a tiny wood. The rose garden at the left corner of the yard was her favorite spot.

Hermione climbed the marble stairs, crossed the huge space, and reached for one of the large silver knockers. She knocked three times and took a step back,

The massive doors swung open magically, and she beamed. The house still knew her. The moment she stepped over the threshold a snap announced the arrival of a house-elf.

"Hello, Miss Hermione," the elf chirped.

"Hello, Binky," she said, still smiling. "Is Draco home?"

The elf nodded. "Yes, Miss, Master Draco is in his office. Should I announce you arrival?"

Hermione laughed slightly, Binky was a very formal elf, and talked much better than your average house-elf. "Please do, Binky. Could you ask him to meet me in the north west rose garden?"

"Yes, Miss. Can Binky get you anything else?"

"No, that won't be needed, thank you," she told him. "Oh, perhaps you shouldn't mention my visit to the rest of the family? Unless they ask you directly, that is."

"Master Draco has made sure that all of the elves listen to you first, Miss. Master Draco told us to take any order you give, unless you try to set us free."

Hermione's smile grew and for a few moments the sadness that darkened her eyes was erased by amusement. "Very well, then. Don't tell the others I'm here, please."

The elf nodded and vanished.

**o.O.o**

Draco was sitting at his desk when Binky arrived. Binky was Draco's personal elf, and he had gone to great pains to make sure that he was the very best. His training had been so successful that Binky was promoted to head the entire group and he was responsible for bringing important messages. It helped that you could understand everything he said.

"Master Draco?" the elf asked. He tried hiding the bit of timidity in his voice. Draco didn't like being disturbed.

"Yes, Binky?" he asked. Not that he had anything else to do at the moment.

The elf gulped noticeably. "Master Draco, you have a visitor."

He arched an eyebrow. People rarely visited him at the Manor without an appointment, and, after checking the swirling ball on his desk, he noted that the person had been welcomed into the house without permission. They had to have been written into the wards. Only family was written into the wards. And_ her._

"Who? Who is it, Binky?" he asked, a bit jumpy.

"Miss Hermione is waiting for you in the north west rose garden, Master. She told me not to mention her arrival to anyone else."

Shoving the chair away from the desk Draco jumped to his feet. She hadn't visited the Manor in years. His chest felt tight, and Draco was quite aware of the place she had chosen. He didn't say anything else, but stormed out of the office, a slight spring to his step.

**o.O.o**

Hermione sat on one of the stone benches and admired the bushes. With a spell cast over it to keep it warm, the flowers bloomed all year round. She plucked an ivory colored flower from the bush beside her and smelt it. This place was special to her, just as that dingy closet at the ministry was special.

She heard his ragged breath and heavy footsteps before he said a word, and his presence warmed her heart. "Draco," she said, closing her eyes.

The man in question came around and pulled her off her seat into a tight embrace. "Hermione," he said, a disbelieving tone lingering in his voice. She looked into his face and saw the pure happiness he reserved only for her and his son and it broke her heart to know how much he would hate her when she was done with her story. He kissed her, and she kissed him back, but by the end she was feeling a bit queasy.

She detached herself from his firm grasp. She shook her head and took her seat. "You're going to hate me," she told him, staring intensely at the ground.

He sat beside her, grasping her hand. "I don't think I could ever hate you, Hermione. You know that." He took a deep breath. "I didn't hate you for leaving, or for marrying Weasel. You even have kids with the fool."

She laughed sadly, and he gave her a puzzled look. "Do you remember the night we spent here? Lying in the grass and staring at the stars?"

He nodded. Of course he would have remembered the first night they'd slept together. "The summer before Scorpius was born, and Rose, of course." Saying the girls name felt odd on his tongue.

"You know the name 'rose', that's her middle name," she breathed. "Not that she knows that, of course. I'm sure she'd laugh if she knew her real name. She'd think it was ridiculous."

He didn't question her, but he squeezed her hand gently. "She's very much like you, too. She even made it into Slytherin house, you know."

"Hermione…" he tried, mouth dry. He didn't like where he thought this conversation might be headed.

"You were already married. I know – I know that's not an excuse. But you are. I didn't want to leave, ever, but I couldn't stay. And I couldn't come back and listen to how you loved little Scorpius, not while Rose was off by herself.

Harry couldn't help me, but I still had Ron. He still loved me, too, and he had just found out he couldn't have kids, and I – I went to him. He was angry at me, yes, but he loved me. He took care of me, and he's taken care of Rose since she was born. Ron wanted to squash every bit of you he could out of Rose, but he loves her dearly, and she loves him."

She was crying openly. Tears ran down her cheeks, reddening her eyes. "I wanted to tell you for so long. I did, but I couldn't do that to you, and I couldn't do that to her. You would never have been able to be a big part in her life, and she needed someone. I put a masking spell on her just hours after she was born, when her eyes had really started to shift colors. I couldn't have her running around with blond hair and silver eyes. She looks a lot like Ron right now, but under that she is almost the perfect replica of you."

She looked up at him expectantly. "Please, say something."

"Mine?"

She nodded slowly. "Pyxis Rose Malfoy, she's both a terror and an angel." She reached into her pocket and brought out a tiny box. With her wand, she blew it up and lifted the lid. Inside were dozens of pictures, both magical and muggle. And there was a pile of silver discs. "We made her here in the rose gardens… and we made Hugo in that closet at the Ministry."

He looked a bit paler than normal. And a bit green. "Hugo's real name is Thuban, do you know that star?"

He thought for a moment, that name sounded familiar. "It's one of the stars in the constellation of Draco."

She smiled a bit. "It was the closest thing I could come up with. He's your son; he should have been named after his father."

He took the box from her hands and shuffled through the pictures. There were hundreds of them from birthdays, and parties, and everyday things. He found it oddly comforting that none of the pictures had Ron in them, and that she had erased the charm that masked the children's appearances.

"These are yours. I took them just for you, so that you wouldn't miss out on their whole lives. And these," she said, picking up a few discs, "are home-made muggle movies. They move like our pictures, but they record sound too. If there's anything that's missing, Draco, tell me. I'll find the memory for you."

"Why," he started, "are you telling me this now?"

"I'm tired of holding it in. You deserve the truth, and even if you didn't, I love you too much to keep holding it back." She sighed heavily. "You needed to know first, Draco, especially if the children are going to find out."

"You're going to tell them?" he didn't know whether to be angry or happy.

"I planned on telling them when Rose turned seventeen, when her charm is scheduled to fall, but she's too much like you. She's in Slytherin, she's sneaky, but she has my curiosity. She'll start looking for the truth, and the closer she gets, the weaker the charm becomes. When she got sorted the hat told her something, something about you and her eyes changed colors. She fainted when she found out."

"Is she okay?" he asked, worry leaking into his voice.

She nodded. "Scorpius has become her very closest friend, but I can't have my daughter falling for her older brother."

He chuckled softly, eyes still glued to the pictures, two sets of silver eyes staring up at him. "Hugo is an awful name, you know."

"No, I don't. I rather like it thank you. Besides it's a much better middle name than 'Hyperion' or 'Abraxus'."

"Ah, and 'Jean' is just a fantastic name is it?" he asked her, setting the box on the ground and reaching for her.

"Mhm. It's a wonderful name, thanks for noticing," she answered slyly, climbing onto his lap.

They held each other for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet, forgetting about the world and their problems. As it always had, being together, like this, made the world stop spinning and everything seemed to make perfect sense.

A snap sometime later, broke the spell. "Master Draco, Mistress Astoria is looking for you. It is nearly time for dinner."

Hermione climbed off of him slowly, fresh tears coming to her eyes. "All right, Binky. I'm coming."

They stood, looking at each other. "I've missed you so much," she breathed, turning her head.

With a gentle finger, Draco moved her so that she looked up at him. "And I, you. I'm going to fix this, somehow, Hermione, I promise. I only wish neither of us had ever gotten married."

"You are the one that's married, Draco. Not me," she straightened up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "You need to go. Write me, like you used to."

He nodded and with another couple kisses, they parted ways. She Disparated and he strode off through the growing gloom.

**o.O.o**

Hermione returned home, wiping her eyes furiously. Ron was sitting at the kitchen table. "How'd it go?" he asked.

"Better than I expected. He said he wanted to fix the mess I've made."

Ron gave her a puzzled look. "He's going to get rid of her isn't he?" Hermione swallowed. "I – I think so."

Years before, when Hermione had gone to Ron with her problems, she had told him that she would never love anyone ever again. He told her he didn't care, that he would always be there for her, and he would love any child of hers as his own. She cried. He held her. They staged getting married, for Ron's family, and they had Rose.

He didn't understand why she acted the way she did, how she could love someone like Malfoy, but this was the hardest part of their agreement. If things were to and badly between Draco and Astoria, and there was a chance that he would want her, and their children, Hermione would leave.

Ron nodded sadly and slid off of his chair. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, 'Mione."

She sniffled. "I know, Ron. I'm sorry."

"I got Hugo to talk to me earlier. He's scared."

"I'll explain thing the best I can." She searched his gaze and saw a glimmer of fear. "Draco will never keep these kids away from you Ron, I hope you know that."

"He's not as great as you think, Hermione."

She sighed, pushing away from him. "I won't let him. They need you, too."

He smiled at her slightly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Anything you want. You don't have to go anywhere."

After he nodded, Hermione walked towards the living room and took the stairs. She knocked on Hugo's door softly, but when her son didn't answer, she pulled open the door. He wasn't there. Hermione checked the bathrooms, and the rest of the bedrooms, even the closets. "Ron! Ron, I can't find Hugo!"

They researched the house, checked outside, but they couldn't find the boy. "Go tell Harry and your parents," she told him, twenty minutes later, tears streaming. "I have to tell Draco."

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><p><strong>A.N. Oh no! Where did Hugo go? The suspense is going to have to drag on a bit, 'cause come Chapter 4 we'll be back at Hogwarts! Ooh, and I would like to know which characters you would like to see have their own POV explored. Thanks!<strong>

**There is also a link in my profile that will take you to a picture I did of Rose's transformation. I'm hoping to make one of Hugo as well.  
><strong>


	5. These Eyes of Mine

**A.N. Another chapter. Back to Hogwarts! Hope you enjoy.**

**Special thanks to my best reviewer: KraZiiPyrozHavemoreFun!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – These Eyes of Mine<strong>

Al woke early Thursday morning. He had been excited all year for this, for Hogwarts, and now he wasn't so sure. Al was shy by nature, and much quieter than any of his siblings or cousins. Rose was his best friend, the only one he could really talk to, and Rose had left him.

He had spent most of the night thinking about what had happened, especially after the 'family meeting'. They had discussed with great detail how they should have expected this. How strange Rose was compared to the rest of them. It was wrong how right everything seemed to be, everything, but the fact that Rose was both the daughter of a muggle-born and a Weasley, one of the biggest set of blood-traitors the wizarding world had ever seen. It didn't fit, and they didn't like it.

Jumping from the bed, Al gathered his things to get ready for the day. After he was finally ready, and had mastered the tie, he skipped down the dormitory stairs and into the common room. The circular room was warm from the roaring fire. No one else seemed to be about.

Instead of waiting for anyone else, Al decided to go to breakfast. Perhaps Rose would rather sit with him than with the Slytherins. He kept going, quickly reaching the massive staircases. They floated and spun, constantly changing direction. It took nearly fifteen minutes for him to reach the next floor down, but from there, he noted the pattern, and found his way down to the ground floor.

Students were running about the lower levels, some going to class, others to their common rooms or to breakfast. Al dodged the ones in his way, and went through the giant doors that were already opened. Warm smells of bacon and eggs, and all of the other delicious smells of breakfast came rushing towards him. It was like breakfast at his grandparents' or when his mother went all out on a special occasion.

He saw his animated family near the end of the table. Victoire and Dominique were chattering wildly, probably in French while James and Fred were in a fit of laughter. They seemed so happy and carefree, but Al didn't think he could be that way. He felt badly about the whole situation, like it would change his entire life.

Al sat quickly and avoided the others; instead he searched the long table on the other side of the room where they were dressed in green. He looked for his best friend, his favorite cousin, and the only Slytherin with bright red hair. When he couldn't see her, he looked for the boy he had met on the train, Scorpius Malfoy. He sat in the very center of the table, back to the wall, surrounded by a seven or eight other people. They all were looking to him, trying to put them into his conversation, even the older students. They _worshiped_ him. He might as well have been a god or king of the entire band of Slytherins.

Al growled under his breath. He didn't like Rose's new friend, especially now. A twinge of jealousy coursed through him. His best friend, his only friend, stolen from him by a boy who could have anyone he wanted by his side. Without Rose, he really would be on his own.

Scorpius glanced up from his breakfast, looking as bored as possible. He caught Al's eye and frowned.

Ignoring him was much easier than he expected. Al focused on his porridge, at least until his head of house, Professor Spinnet, brought along schedules. His had him set for Potions first thing this morning with the Slytherins. He groaned.

"What's up, Al?" Fred asked to his right. His older cousin snatched the schedule out of his hand and examined it. "Double Potions, first thing? Damn that's rough." He handed the parchment back and reached across the table. "What do you have, Victoire?"

She turned from her sister, nose slightly in the air. "I have Muggle Studies at eleven."

"So you get next period free?" James asked. "Ah, look Fred we have one after Care of Magical Creatures!"

"That's good. Hagrid is getting a bit boring in his old age, I'm afraid."

"That class is awful!" Dominique complained. "Arithmancy is a much better option. Even Divination is better than that."

"I thought you were a Charms fan, eh?"

"Oh, shut up, James! Who stuck a stick up your arse?"

Breakfast continued this way for several minutes until they were done eating. Al got up last, pushing away his bowl and standing. He walked as slowly as possible to the dungeons, not wanting to be anywhere near Malfoy, but also needing to ask him about Rose.

The two classes were assembled outside the class room door, a clear divide between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins. The tall blond boy was leaning against one of the stone walls, still just as bored. A dark skinned girl with long black hair and a burly boy were beside him. He seemed only vaguely paying attention to their conversation.

Struck by how indifferent he was, Al plucked up his courage and walked towards them. "Malfoy?" he asked, looking up at him.

"Yes, Potter?" His eyes flashed in amusement.

"Have you seen Rose? Where is she?"

"Rose is fine, but she doesn't want to see you right now." The two people beside him laughed.

Al scowled. "Did your lot do something to her? Is it because she's the first Weasley to be a Slytherin?"

Scorpius smirked. "Really, Potter, she's fine. Just a little under the weather. Stress will do that to you, you know?" The group laughed again.

"I –" he started, cut off when the classroom door opened. He would have to take this conversation up later.

**o.O.o**

Scorpius sat quite still beside the hospital wing bed. Rose was looking disgruntled, and the shining in her now-silver eyes professed to a deeper more passionate emotion.

"So," she started slowly, "_only_ Malfoys have gray eyes?"

He snorted, "Your eyes aren't _gray, t_hey're silver, and yes, only Malfoys."

"Well, perhaps my mum is related to you, or my dad," she said, but it looked more like she was trying to convince herself. "Maybe my mum isn't even a muggle-born."

He laughed out loud that. "Didn't the sorting hat say you were just like your dad? You're either the only Weasley who's ever been in Slytherin or you aren't a Weasley at all."

"Not a Weasley? I have to be a Weasley, Scorpi, my whole family is!" The anger dissipated and was slowly being replaced with tears. Then, with a flash they were gone. "You don't have an uncle or aunt, do you?"

"Not on Dad's side, no."

The realization sunk in, and Scorpius let out what might have been a strangled scream. "What?" she demanded, glaring at him.

"Y-Your hair!"

**o.O.o**

"Al?" said a voice somewhere beside him. "You okay, buddy?"

Al lifted his emerald eyes to his older brother. "I'm fine, James."

James looked at the boy, and with a heavy sigh, hauled him to his feet. "Come on, we're going to Quidditch practice. I'll let you try my broom."

Pulling himself from James's grasp, Al sighed, "Can't I just stay here?"

He laughed and slapped him on the shoulder, "And let you wallow in self-pity? Don't think so, Al." He turned around suddenly when loud thumps indicated that someone was on the stairs. "You ready, Fred?"

He nodded, shoving a bit of his long red hair out of his eyes. "'Course, mate. Are we taking that with us?" he asked, pointing to Al.

"Sure. Where's your bat?"

Fred paused and glanced around him, "Oh, uh, I'll get it." He turned and bolted back up the stairs.

When James turned back to his brother, Al had slumped back into his chair, looking distraught. "Rose is fine, Al. She'll be okay, even if she's in Slytherin. You know that, right?"

"She wasn't in class today, James! And none of the stinking Slytherins would tell me anything!" he shouted, and then covering his face with his hands.

"Fine!" James huffed. "I'm going to practice. See you later."

**o.O.o**

"Dominique!" James shouted after she dropped the quaffle for the fourth time. "You have to _catch_ it!"

"Maybe if you didn't throw so awfully I'd catch it better!" she shouted back, turning in midair and flying back towards the goal posts.

"Potter! Stop picking fights with the other chasers!" shouted their captain, the other beater, Brock Thomas.

James tipped his broom down and land dived towards the ground. He landed, grabbed his broom and slung it over his shoulder. "Potter!" his captain shouted. "_James!_" He didn't turn around, and he resisted the urge to shout back.

He didn't get five steps away before Fred landed in front of him. "Come on, mate. Don't be shouting at Dom, she didn't do squat."

James glared at him, brown eyes flashing. "She can't catch. Even Victoire can catch! And she's horrid!"

"If this gets back to your mum, she is going to murder you, James. And then Aunt Fleur and Grandma are going to skin you," Fred warned, watching his cousin closely. He had been a bit strange all evening, ever since he had tried to help Al. "Not that I'll be saying anything."

"I'll be fine, Fred. I can deal with Mum. Dom just needs to work on her game, that's all." He growled in frustration. "All of this is Rose's fault, getting stuck in Slytherin."

"I know, mate. I know."

**o.O.o**

Hugo sat alone in his bedroom. He kept staring at the mirror on his dresser. His mother's brown eyes weren't staring back at him anymore, but he no longer possessed her brown hair. The face that stared back at him was very different from his own. His skin was paler, and was not marred with the heavy freckles he was used to. His face was not near as round, but had a pointed quality.

The silver eyes were daunting. They were bright and alive, shining with his unshed tears. When the anger overrode the pain, those eyes swirled with a darker color, shadowed and haunting. His hair had paled, the natural red highlights turned blond, making it a messy dirty blond.

This skin didn't fit him, this was no longer his. It couldn't be. New tears ran down his new face, new eyes rimmed in red. Anger boiled inside him, along with the pain. He'd heard the stories, listened as they said even his father wasn't his own. And now, now the face of that stranger, his real father, was staring back at him.

His parents, or the imposters, continued to knock on his door, urging him to talk. He didn't want to talk; they didn't deserve it, not now, and the few words he'd said earlier when Ron had stormed in didn't count either. He had questions they couldn't answer, others he didn't want them to ask.

"Hugo!" his fa - Ron called. "Your mother will be home soon! Come out for dinner!"

He didn't answer. Eventually Ron huffed and stormed back down the stairs. A new touch of anger took him, and his eyes spun. Impulse over took him. Hugo stood, grabbed some basic supplies and crept into the hall. Ron wasn't very good at paying attention, so it was incredibly easy for the boy to open the door and creep to his parents' bedroom. He opened the closet and grabbed the old broom propped in the corner.

He tied the bag to the handle and climbed out of the window, onto the roof that covered the back porch. Mounting the broom was easy; he'd been playing Quidditch at his grandparents' house since before he could walk. Hugo knew the direction of the Burrow, and even the direction of Diagon Alley, but Wiltshire was a strange name, a place he had never heard of. He could have ridden the Knight Bus; instead he reached under his shirt and pulled out the chain that hang around his neck. His mother had given him the necklace just before Rose had went off the Hogwarts, and his sister had been given a gold locket. On the chain was an old fashioned ring. It was made of silver, a giant green stone with a curling 'M' in its center sat in the metal. Whenever he touched the ring the 'M' glowed bright yellow.

His mother had said that the ring was supposed to take him to safety if something ever happened to them. He hoped it meant that it would take him to them, his real family. Hugo took it off the chain and slid it onto his thumb, but the ring was still too large. Just before he take the ring back off, the silver contracted and enclosed his thumb. The stone and metal started to glow and became hot. Then Hugo vanished, taking the broom and his bag with him.

He appeared in front of a huge wrought iron gate on a road of pale pink rocks. It was dark, but he could see the massive house at the end. Hugo reached out for the metal, and watched the monstrous gates open. He took one step into the yard, and instantly felt… right, like he was meant to be there.

Dropping everything at his feet, Hugo took off at full speed, rushing to the house. He climbed the stairs two at a time. Hugo reached the doors, and they swung open immediately. The house was stunning, and larger than anything he had ever seen. Everything was shimmering. The floors glistened, shinning with the metals than ran through it. A huge set of stairs beckoned to the second floor.

There were so many ways to go, so many different things to see. And the dozens of painting that dotted the walls were looking at him strangely.

"Hello!" he said brightly to one painting, a lovely woman dressed in pale blue robes.

"Hello, dear. Who might you be?" she asked sweetly, one eyebrow rose lightly. It was a look Rose sometimes gave him.

He gulped. Was this woman somehow related to him? "My name is Hugo. I – I'm looking for my father."

She looked at him strangely. "Hugo, do you have a last name?"

He nodded thoughtfully; he didn't know his real last name, and he told her so. "I don't know my real last name."

She hummed while she thought. "I need to speak with someone else, dear. Do you know which way is left?" He nodded. "Go three doors down the left hallway, through the white double doors. Wait for me there, the real me."

"Okay, ma'am."

She cringed. "Don't call me that, it makes me sound old," she chided with a small smile.

He opened his mouth for a moment, and then snapped it shut. "What should I call you, then?"

"I believe, dear, that you should call me Nana," she said before walking out of her frame. Alone, Hugo turned to his left and walked towards the room he was supposed to go in. The doors opened, and he found a soft chair to sit on. He kicked off his shoes and curled up on the chaise, and fell into a light, peaceful sleep.

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><p><strong>I hope for many lovely reviews! Still makes since right? And I told you Hugo was fine.. sort of.<strong>


	6. Discovery

**A.N. Back again. Earlier than normal, I know. I haven't even responded to the review from the last chapter. But I just made some changes to my profile, and thought of a great little game. For more details, check out the AN at the bottom of this chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Discovery<strong>

She appeared with a snap, standing in the rocky drive, soaking in the pouring rain. She ran for it, following the same path she had just an hour before. The door burst open as she approached it. She didn't pay any attention to the house elf trying to stop her, or the seven others who were following her cleaning the water and mud as she walked.

The double doors to the dining room were wide open, the table stretching on to an unimaginable length. The four Malfoys sat at the table, barely speaking. Her interruption was quickly noticed.

"How did _you_ get in here?" Lucius snarled at her, rising from his seat. Astoria and Narcissa seemed more than a bit shocked. Draco jumped up, turning to face her. He seemed angry, but it melted away when he got a good look at her.

"What happened, Hermione?" he asked, hiding the panic.

"Draco, Hugo's gone. We can't find him anywhere!" she said hysterically, looking like she might faint. Draco's eyes widened before he snapped them to one of the elves. "Binky, get my cloak!"

The elf disappeared and returned a moment later with the item in question. Hermione sobbed a bit and he wrapped her in his arms. "We'll find him, love. It's going to be okay," he whispered before spinning and Disparating them.

By the time they appeared at her home the Weasleys over flowed the house. If anyone questioned Draco's presence, her appearance, or the fact that their hands were tightly wound, they didn't ask. They were all too worried.

They split into groups of two, mostly splitting by couples. Hermione took Draco, she needed him close, and they needed to find their baby. Ron went with Harry and Ginny. Harry gave her a strange look and shook his head; Ginny glared a bit at Ron.

One group searched the neighborhood; another went to check his primary school. Ron, Harry, and Ginny went to check Hogwarts, and to speak with Rose, and another group took Diagon Alley.

Hermione and Draco went to her parents' house. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had a very strained relationship with Hermione and her children, mostly because they knew the truth. Hermione had come to them first, when she had discovered she was pregnant, they didn't, however, know Draco's name.

"H-Hermione?" her father yawned, answering the door. He glanced at her and then to Draco. "This is _him_ isn't it?"

Hermione nodded. "Dad, have you seen Hugo? He ran away, and we can't find him anywhere." Fresh tears came to her eyes.

"No. Haven't seen either of them since the end of July," he answered. He looked a bit worried around the edges, but he was a bit cold and didn't even try to let them inside.

Draco pulled her to him and held her close as a new wave of sobs over took her. While they sat in relative silence, a large snap turned all of their heads.

**o.O.o**

Not twenty minutes after Hermione Granger had stormed into Malfoy Manor, dripping wet and covered in mud, the family stood and went their separate ways. Lucius went to his study, Narcissa to her favorite sitting room, and Astoria to where ever she always was.

As a young child Astoria had been an angel. She had dark hair and sharp eyes, and her beauty was obvious. They had arranged the marriage then, and the summer after Draco turned twenty, the two were married.

In the years since the arrangements, Astoria had become an atrocious woman. She didn't have the poise or grace. She was beautiful, sometimes, but she also had the look of someone with something foul under her nose. Narcissa had that look, but only when she was particularly disgusted. She also spent too much money, had a horrendous temper, and hated her own child. None of them liked her at all.

Lucius seated himself at his monstrous desk and poured himself a drink. Before dinner, Draco had pulled him aside saying that they had important things to discuss about Astoria and his marriage. He'd been intrigued. Although it had once been much tabooed, destruction of magical marriages was becoming more popular, especially in the youngest generation, and despite tradition, he would sincerely like to be rid of his daughter-in-law.

They'd made the couple sign several contracts, one provided enough money for Astoria to remain comfortable, she was even given a vacation home in Italy, but any children of the couple belonged to the Malfoy line and name, Scorpius could not be taken from the home except as the result of Draco's death. Not that it mattered; she couldn't stand Scorpius, not since Draco had done his best to make the boy soft.

As Lucius pondered his thoughts, and his drink, a house-elf popped into the room.

"Master Malfoy?" it asked timidly.

"What?" he barked. The elf whimpered.

"Madam Malfoy sent me, sir. She requests your presence in her sitting room."

He nodded and the elf disappeared. With one last gulp, he finished his liquor and made his way to his wife.

The white doors were wide open to the hall, and Lucius entered to meet a strange sight, something he hadn't witnessed since Scorpius was very young.

Narcissa was laying back on her favorite chaise lounge, legs tucked to one side. By her a tiny boy was curled into her, shaking with sobs.

"Lucius, call Draco. Quickly," she whispered, rubbing the boy's back with a perfectly manicured hand.

"Binky!" he called. "Fetch Draco, immediately."

**o.O.o**

"Master Draco!" Binky squeaked. "Your parents request you presence, sir."

"At the Manor? Now?" he growled. "I can't. Tell them I won't be back until I've found my son."

The elf vanished, but only to reappear seconds later. "Master Draco, your parents would like you to bring Miss Hermione as well. They have something they wish you to see."

Hermione looked at the tiny elf over Draco's arm. "What is it Binky?" she croaked.

"A boy has come to the Manor, miss. He is with Madam Malfoy as we speak."

Draco made a slight noise at this, and looked at Hermione, wondering why she hadn't said anything else. Hermione was grinning like a mad woman. "He used the ring!" she said excitedly.

He moved to hold her out at arm's length, "What are you on about?"

"Do you remember the ring you gave me? The Malfoy family ring? And the locket, too, with our pictures in it?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, urging her to continue. "They have charms on them. Modified portus charms. Hugo has the ring, and Rose has the locket. If they were ever in serious danger, or if something happened to me, the spell would activate and send them to you." She looked up at him, smiling brightly. "He was so angry at us. He overheard us talking, planning, and the concealment broke. He wouldn't let us in, and he must have thought you would be able to help him."

"We have to go." She nodded, and they vanished.

**o.O.o**

"Hugo, darling, there's someone else here to meet you," Narcissa whispered to the boy who had finally stopped his tears. The boy turned his bright eyes up at her and softened at her smile. "Of course, Nana."

"Cissa? What-" Lucius started.

"Hugo, this is your grandfather, Lucius," she whispered, gesturing to the man. "Your mother and father will be here soon, and then we can make sense of all this mess."

"How did he get here, Cissa?"

She sighed, and quickly reiterated the story Hugo had told her, even the bits about his hair and eyes. "Look at him, Lucius. He is the spitting image of our son, more so than even Scorpius."

Lucius stopped and gave the boy another once-over. True the dirty blonde of his hair was distracting, but the overall image was remarkably similar to Draco when he had been young. Scorpius was a bit rounder in the face, and had his mother's nose, but not this boy.

The boy straightened his face, pulled himself from his new found grandmother and stood in front of the elder man. He held out one hand and looked up bravely. "Hello Grandfather. I'm Hugo Wea-Malfoy."

He looked at the boy strangely, before reaching out his own hand. They shook. Intrigued by the boy Lucius placed a hand on his shoulder and led him back to the chair.

"Hugo, darling, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

The boy nodded and started chattering about his favorite book, his favorite color, the new broom he'd gotten for his birthday, and everything else he could think of. "And I want a puppy, but Mum said we didn't have enough room for a dog. Especially a big one like a lab," he said, "but we always have room for more of Mum and Rose's cats. Can't stand cats. They claw and rub themselves on you, and meow all the time!"

**o.O.o**

Draco and Hermione landed awkwardly on their feet, stumbling. They walked quickly to the house, but Hermione stopped him as they reached the doors.

"Wait! Let me clean up first." They stopped while she cast cleaning and drying spells over both of them, and an untangling charm on her hair. He glared at her a bit. Her-_their_ son ran away from home and at ended up at _his_ house, with his _parents_, and she was worried what she looked like! He was feeling a bit smug, however, that the boy, who didn't even know his name, had come to him when he was upset. The smugness didn't really help his attitude, though.

When Hermione had finally tucked her wand away, Draco reached for her hand. She slapped him.

"Why you evil witch!"

"You are _married_, Draco. Your wife is here, your parents are here!" she said furiously.

"And if I said I didn't care?" he asked, reaching for her again.

She smiled slightly and pulled away from him. "There will be time for that later, Draco."

"Hermione…" he groaned. He gave up for the moment. "You only use me as a sperm bank anyway."

She took a moment to look him over, to make sure he wasn't serious. His eyes glinted playfully. "Oh, all right, but only if Astoria stays away."

He thought it over and nodded, snagging her hand a moment later. When they turned to face the doors, they sprang open. Binky was waiting for them.

"Master and Mistress are in the sitting room in the western wing, Master Draco, Miss Hermione."

Draco led to her to the room in question; it was one of the few she had never entered in their time together. She studied everything around her, smiling at the different portraits that had come to accept her over a decade ago.

They entered the room and Draco frowned a bit when she went to hide behind him. The sight they saw was not what either of them had expected.

Hugo's eyes were still a little red, but he wasn't crying anymore. In fact he was laughing, propped on Narcissa's lap. Lucius sat beside them, the edges of a smile threatened to mar his face.

"Mother, Father," he said, trying to get their attention. They looked up at him and Draco met his son's bright silver eyes.

"You're my dad?" the boy asked. The laughter was gone, replaced by a bored mask. Those silver eyes sparked.

"Yes, Hugo, I am."

He looked over his new found father. When he was satisfied, the mask broke and he turned angrily to Hermione.

"Mum," he acknowledged.

"Hugo, darling," she whispered. "Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, thank you so much for taking care of him."

"Call us by our first names dear, you are practically family," Narcissa said, then turned to Hugo and whispered in his ear. He nodded and slid off of her lap.

"Binky!" he called. Hermione cringed while Draco stifled a laugh. "Could you take me to Scorpius's playroom?"

"Please," Hermione added, but all she got was a glare.

The double doors closed softly behind him. They sat, but Hermione kept her eyes to the floor. He squeezed her hand in encouragement, and when she looked up at him, he nodded to his parents across the room.

"The charm you added to the ring was quite impressive," Narcissa told her. "Even the original spells and enchantments didn't stop you."

"It was supposed to be used when he was in danger, as is Rose's locket."

"Rose?"

"Yes, my-our… Hugo didn't tell you?" she asked, amazed. Hugo was a bit of a chatter box, and he never held anything back.

The two elder Malfoys looked to each other. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning, dear."

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It start the spring before you were released, Lucius. As you know, I was the lawyer in charge of your case, and I was here quite often. I spent a great deal of time with Draco, as he was our lead witness.

"With all the time we spent together, and the sensitive nature of our discussions, we grew quite close. It didn't take long to see how strained the relationships among your family had grown. They missed you, Astoria was unwanted and the newest Malfoy was expected that fall. I, myself, was desperately lonely, and, despite the fact that the morals behind it all were a little skewed, we found comfort in each other." She had to stop there, her face growing exceptionally red. "I got pregnant with Rose in June, and left in early August. I couldn't tear Draco away from his family, but I couldn't get rid of our baby either.

"I went to my parents, who were extremely disappointed in me. Then I went to my friends. Harry was married, Ginny was trying to get pregnant again, and James was in a rough stage, but Ron was all alone. He still loved me, still does love me, and he had just found out that he couldn't have children of his own.

"He took me back and was there through all of the rough patches. I had broken my own heart and the baby was the only thing that kept me alive. We lied to his family, our friends, and the children. We aren't even married, I refused, but we have a contract. He knows that he will never have my heart and it hurts him.

"Rose was born on March 19th at 7:37 in the morning," she added with a sweet smile. "She was full term but just under three kilos. Only Ron and my mother were with me, and I got nearly twenty minutes with her before I had to cast the charm. It called the Metamorphosis, and it changed them to look like Ron instead of Draco. Hugo's hair was once dark brown, as were his eyes. He used to have freckles. He also had bucked teeth, but I fixed that ages ago."

"And Rose? What does she look like?"

"It's only been a few days, but Rose went to Hogwarts this year. I'm sure you all will be proud that she became a Slytherin. She is angry, like Hugo was, because the sorting hat told her some of the basics. It changed her eyes back to silver. When she knows the truth her curls will turn blond as well. With Scorpius there to prod her in the right direction, I'm sure she'll catch on quickly."

"A Weasley in Slytherin?" Lucius snorted. "Ridiculous."

"Yes, Rose and Hugo don't know their real names, it would have been worse if a second Malfoy was called up. Rose would have been dumbfounded."

While both of his parents gave her strange looks, Draco leaned over and asked, "What did you do?"

"I begged McGonagall to change her name on the school records. She couldn't, so she told the teacher who was going to be reading it." She sighed. "Alicia sent me a nasty letter about that. Her two best friends are Weasleys now, after all. She wanted to know why she was supposed to call 'Pyxis Malfoy', 'Rose Weasley'."

"Pyxis?" Narcissa asked, beaming brightly.

"Constellation and star names are very important to the Black family. If I ever wanted to my children Draco's, then they had to be a part of your family too, Narcissa. So I named Rose, Pyxis, and Hugo's first name is Thuban."

"One of the stars of Draco?"

"Exactly."

They sat in silence for several minutes. There was little left to say. The quiet ended abruptly, when Hermione turned to him and asked, "Draco, do you still have the box on you?"

He nodded, pulling out the tiny cardboard box and expanding it. "Why?"

"I'm sure your parents would love to see the pictures."

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><p><strong>A.N. All right, everybody, we are going to play a little game. At the bottom of my profile, I have posted a list of all of the kids from the second generation, and included their birthdays and parents names. That is a point of reference, and nothing else. At the end of this list, four other children are listed, but I didn't actually post the names. They're surprises for the epilogue, which is already written.<strong>

**I want you guys to guess the names, and anyone who can get a full name of any one of the kids, wins the entire story, directly emailed to them as I write it. For example, if you correctly guessed a name at this moment, you would have 5 extra chapters to read before anyone else, and you would continue to get updates before everyone else.**

**The last names should be fairly simple, which comes to the second part of this deal. I will post a hint to one name at the bottom of each chapter until all four names are guessed. Only four people will win. Good luck!**

**_Hint 1: Count the letters_**


	7. Nightmares

**A.N. Oops, missed Tuesday this week. Been crazy and hectic! Here it is, though, and chapter 7 will be posted on schedule, I promise! Hint for the game is listed at the end of the chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Nightmares<strong>

Scorpius shifted uncomfortably in his chair again. "This is an awful place to spend so much time, you know." He gave her a pointed look. "The glare _still_ doesn't work."

"You can't possibly expect me to go out looking like this. What would I tell people? The _truth?_" She huffed. "What kind of older brother are you anyway?"

Ignoring her question, he asked one of his own. "Well, what kind of Slytherin are _you?_ Lie!"

"Oh, sure," she said sarcastically. "Why didn't I think of that? Ooh, maybe I could go around saying that I tried to put a few glamour charms on myself and got stuck looking like your arse."

"And even Madam Pomfrey couldn't change you back," he added, thinking it over. "I think that would work."

She rolled her eyes. "Really? I mean, come on, Scorpi. No one if going to fall for that load of bull."

"You have to sell it, Rose. Make people believe you."

Just then Madam Pomfrey exited her office and was making her way over to them. "I don't know how," Rose said, hurriedly trying to finish the conversation.

He shrugged before getting to his feet. "If you're going to be a Malfoy, you had better learn how." He strode off, "See you tomorrow then. At breakfast, or you won't be getting your homework."

**o.O.o**

"Al, calm down already!" James shouted. He'd been shouting a lot over the last few days.

"It's been a week, James. A week!"

"Malfoy said she was sick. If you're that worried go check the Hospital Wing," Fred suggested, throwing himself in an armchair. "Oi, James, let's have a game, shall we?"

James glanced at his brother again and back to his best friend. "All right, mate, if you want to get your arse kicked that bad."

"Oh, shut up. You wouldn't know the king from a pawn."

Al growled in frustration, jumping out of his seat and storming over to the portrait hole.

"It's after midnight, Al. Better take the cloak."

He stopped, and turned to stomp in the opposite direction. He returned a moment later, half an arm missing where the cloak was slung over it. James gave a strangled try as he walked by, having lost a knight.

The corridor outside was empty and dark. None of the prefects seemed to be about; he didn't see any ghosts or teachers either.

When he reached the Hospital Wing he took a deep breath. Getting angry with Rose, especially a sick Rose would not be good for his health. He pushed the massive door open; every door in the castle was massive, careful not to let it creak. Al crept inside slowly, desperate not to make a noise. As he walked through the room, Al checked the beds. Two guys were asleep on opposite sides, one covered in pink pustules, the other with a bandaged arm.

In the far corner a bed was covered by a curtain. Certain that Rose was there, Al made his way, only to trip over his own feet. He grunted.

"Who's there?" Rose called out. Then a second later, "Al, is that you?"

**o.O.o**

"_Rose?" her father asked her, blue eyes puzzled. "Is that you, Rosie?"_

_She looked up at the red haired man. "Of course, Daddy, don't you recognize me?" Tears threatened her eyes._

"_Who are you?" he asked. Anger lingered in his harsh words. "What happened to my daughter?"_

"_Daddy, it's me, your little Rosie. I'm here!" she cried to him, but he only gave her a look of disgust. Then he faded away into oblivion. "DADDY!" she shouted._

_All around her people were fading, her grandparents, her cousins, her aunts and uncles. Only Hugo remained, mocking her with his freckles and dark eyes._

"_Daddy!" she screamed out again. "Where are you?" She was miserable and frightened. Then out of a shadow came her new friend. "Scorpi!" she called for him._

"_This way, Rose, follow me."_

_She took his hand, trembling. They wound through the dim light of the shadows. They appeared in a meadow of blinding light, where a man stood with his back towards them._

"_Dad," Scorpius said, and the man spun around to face them. He looked just like his son, just a bit older. His hair was the same white blonde that hers was now. And they shared the same eyes._

_Those silver eyes widened slightly, and then his face contorted into a dreadful sneer. "Scorpius, get away from that filth." Scorpius looked between his-their- father and her. Then he took back his hand and left her all by herself in the blinding light. She screamed out again._

Rose woke gasping loudly. That was the most vivid dream she'd had yet, and she was quite aware of the tears that had left tracks on her cheek. A scuffle in the distance drew her away from the dream. "Who's there?" she asked, putting as much scorn into her weak voice as she could. An idea struck her. "Al?"

The boy let out a shocked gasp, and appeared in front of the bed. She was glad that the darkness would mask most of the changes. "Rose! How'd you know it was me?"

"You're incredibly loud for someone so tiny, Al. Now get out, I don't want visitors."

He looked a little hurt. "Yeah, except for you new boyfriend. _Malfoy_," he spat. She cringed.

"Scorpi isn't my boyfriend, Al." Her voice was calm, and he seemed to gather her feelings.

Still he snorted. "You don't sound sick, so why have you missed the whole first week of classes, then?"

"I'm smart, I'll catch up." Honestly, Madam Pomfrey had been asking her the same thing. "I can't face anyone right now. I'm not ready."

He looked a bit worried. "What's wrong?"

"You won't understand." The panic caused from the dream began to seep back into her. "No one will understand."

"Rose, come on. You can tell me anything! I'm your favorite cousin!"

She shook her head. "No, Al. I don't have any cousins." He was puzzled, but before he could ask his question, she stopped him. "I'm not-not a Weasley, Al. I never was."

She leaned over and grabbed her wand from the table and lit the lamp next to her. The light shone on her new hair. He gasped. "Wh-what happened?"

"I just told you! I'm not a Weasley. Scorpius is my _brother_." The words tasted funny, like they should have been bad, but weren't.

"But Uncle Ron-"

"Isn't my dad," she whispered. A few tears leaked down her cheek. "My father's name is Draco Malfoy."

"Have you talked to your mum?" he asked. She shook her head. "You should. Maybe you could even meet, um, him."

"He won't like me, Al. You've heard what our dads have said. He's mean and doesn't like muggleborns and blood traitors." Her body was wracked in sobs. "Please go, Al. I'll see you at breakfast, I promise."

He nodded, placing a hand on hers and squeezed gently. "See you tomorrow, Rose." Then he left.

**o.O.o**

Deep in the dungeons the Slytherins were still wide awake. It was Saturday, so they could do whatever they wanted. Though suspicious by nature, the Slytherins didn't care to hide their sexual prowess, so by this time at night, those sixth and seventh years that were done with their drinking had grabbed their girls and retreated to the bedrooms.

This left the common room to the ugly and the young, and Slytherin House certainly had its share of ugly people. The first years were one of the few classes intact at this hour, some twenty or so.

In the very center of this mess was the recreation of Slytherin some twenty years in the past. The others focused most of their attention on Scorpius Malfoy, especially young Natasha Zabini.

The girl was very pretty, with olive toned skin and wavy black hair. She had great indigo colored eyes framed in long lashes, and she always dressed to impress. Natasha was very much like her mother, or so she'd been told, especially in her taste of men.

Even though she had only turned eleven in July, she was quite sure of what she wanted, money and power. She wanted the most comfortable life she could provide for herself, and in pureblood society that meant marrying the best candidate you could get your hands on, namely a Malfoy.

She'd grown up with Scorpius Malfoy, as their fathers had always been close friends, and she knew him quite well. Everything had seemed to be going smoothly, aside from his father's refusal to betroth them, that was, until they had started school. The moment she had laid eyes on that half-blood Weasley she knew that she was dangerous, especially after the way Scorpius treated her.

Scorpius was _nice_ to the girl, more so than he was to any of the rest of them at least. And he seemed to genuinely like her. The boys in their group didn't seem to care one way or the other, it didn't hurt them any to put up with Scorpius's little friend. But the more time he spent with Rose, the more Natasha fumed. He was supposed to be _hers!_

So Natasha and a few of the other girls pulled away from the group. Most of them wanted Scorpius to themselves, but none were as pretty as she was, so they weren't as big of a threat. At least not yet. In true Slytherin fashion the girls set up a plot, a twisted joke to make a fool out of the Weasley brat, and make Scorpius realize exactly what kind of filth she was.

**o.O.o**

Just after two rolled around, Scorpius had pulled himself away and retreated to the silky green sheets that covered his bed. He had fallen asleep quickly, and had gotten wrapped up in his dreams.

"_Scorpi!" Rose shouted "Catch!" The two of them were way up in the air on brooms; he was helping her practice on her chasing skills. The two looped around each other, tossing the ball back and forth between them._

"_Be careful, Scorpius!" shouted someone from the ground. A woman with dark curly hair was sitting on the grass below, holding a book in her lap, reading glasses perched on the end of her nose. In the time it had taken to look at the woman, he'd forgotten to pay attention, and the ball smacked him in the head._

"_Rose!" he shouted, diving down to capture the ball. When he retrieved it, he threw it as hard as he could. His angle was off, and he nailed her broom handle. The broom spun, and she lost control for a minute. He flew up to her in time to steady her a bit. "You all right, Rose?" she nodded, looking a bit green._

"_I've had enough practice for the day. Let's go find something else to do."_

_He groaned, but nodded anyway. "Bet I could beat you inside."_

_She quirked an eyebrow, "Your legs are longer than mine, of course you'd win."_

_He turned the broom, waving a hand at her. No fun at all. He landed smoothly on the bright green grass and moment later, so did she. They wandered up the slope to the broom shed, a massive structure that was much more elaborate than need be. He unlocked it easily and they placed their broom inside._

_As he was bolting the door closed someone shouted. He turned his head to see. Rose rushed up the hill. "Dad!" she squealed._

"_Hello, Princess," he answered her back, a smile spread over his lips. "Scorpius."_

"_Hey Dad."_

"_Where's you mum?" he asked turning back to the girl, who was currently trying to untangle her mass of blond curls._

"_She's reading by the pitch, Dad. But be quiet, the babies are sleeping."_

_He nodded, still smiling, and walked past them, clapping a hand on Scorpius's shoulder as he went._

The sleeping boy smiled, and rolled onto to his stomach. Continuing his dream where everyone was happy and the future looked bright.

**o.O.o**

By the time Al returned to the Gryffindor common room it was nearly deserted. Fred and James were the only ones left awake, continuing to battle each other over the chessboard. "Mate, look what the cat dragged in!" Fred said, spotting a very disturbed Al.

James turned to look at his little brother. He certainly did look like someone dragged him in. "D'you see Rose?" he asked, turning back to the game. "Knight to E5." The piece moved, targeting in on Fred's queen.

He mumbled something that may have been a yes. Maybe not. Perhaps he would care more if he didn't keep losing.

"How's she doing?" Fred asked, never taking his eyes off the board.

He caught the words this time. "Bad. Real bad."

The two older boys locked eyes. "What's wrong?" they asked simultaneously.

"Different." Al shook his head. "She looks different."

Well that certainly didn't answer the question. They waited, hoping he would go into more detail. Finally he sighed heavily. "She doesn't think she's a Weasley."

Fred cracked a grin and James snorted. "Really? She looks just like Uncle Ron." They turned to the younger boy, but this didn't seem to appease him, in fact he looked a bit paler. He shook his head. "Not anymore."

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><p><strong>A.N. Hint #2: Think constellations for most of those. Two of which have been used in the fandom before.<strong>


	8. Painful Silence

**A.N. Sorry it took so long. Not making any excuses though. I'll try to get back on schedule, but no promises. As a treat I'm posting 7 & 8 at the same time. Both hints will be posted at the end of chapter 8. As an added bonus, I have posted a prequel to this story titled "The Making of Hugo" it is a oneshot, and as the name implies, rated M.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 – Painful Silence<strong>

It had been nearly a month of silence. Hermione had never gone so long without at least receiving a letter from her daughter, but, according to the teachers, Rose was only sulking. Hugo was still angry with them, but he seemed to be enjoying the new aspects of being a Malfoy. She hadn't heard from Draco either, but she assumed that was to be expected. He had had a huge amount of information shoved on him out of the blue. After a week or so, Ron, at least, had come out of his mood and brought back a bit of his attitude.

"See," he told her one day, "he doesn't care."

She had given him an evil look, but a tiny piece of her worried that Draco might agree. But, as awful as she felt, she couldn't bring herself to regret the decision to tell him, or his parents. Of everyone that had been informed of the situation, Lucius and Narcissa were taking the news the best.

Hermione didn't understand it at all, but something Hugo had done impressed Lucius, and both Malfoys insisted that he would be spending a great deal of time with them. He already had his own bedroom in Draco's wing of the house, as did Rose, and it was filled with everything his little heart desired, except for the puppy he had wanted for so long.

As Astoria was still living at the Manor, Narcissa had artfully tricked her and a few friends to disappear for a while, staging the perfect opportunity for a weekend long visit. Hugo was thrilled, which clearly bothered Ron, and almost disturbed Hermione.

"Is it time to go yet?" the boy asked, skidding into the kitchen.

Hermione looked up from her tea and gave him a smile. "Just about. Are all of your things together?"

"Yes, Mum," he groaned. "Why do we have to leave at a certain time? We're only Flooing."

Hermione cringed a bit. "A few of your grandfather's old friends are visiting for the day. They want you and Rose to remain a surprise for a while yet." Well, Lucius wanted them kept a secret, Narcissa wanted to throw a ball, of all things, for them. Besides, she'd rather her young son not have to mingle with too many ex-death eaters.

"Is Dad gonna be there this weekend?" When Hugo did speak to her now, it often was about Draco, but it was still strange for him to refer to him as 'Dad'.

"Oh, I suppose. It is his house after all," she told him, wondering herself if Draco would run off or if he even knew.

Hugo nodded but remained quiet. He looked as if he had something else to say. He shifted his feet and looked to the floor. "What do I do if I have a nightmare?" he finally asked, in no more than a whisper.

Hermione gave him a sad look. For years Hugo had been plagued with horrible nightmares ever since he'd watched a scary movie with the older batch of cousins, she about killed them when she'd found out. He still wanted to be brave, to this day, and no one but Rose knew he still crawled in bed with her when he got really scared. "I don't know, Hugo," she told him honestly. She wasn't sure what Lucius might do if he got woken up in the middle of the night, and Hugo really wanted to impress his grandfather. "Do you want me to ask Nana?"

The boy's silver eyes met hers, holding fear and shame. He shook his head violently. "I'll be all right."

"Hugo, darling, it is okay to get scared. Everybody does."

He steeled up. "I'm fine, Mum."

"Draco's room is just down the hall, you know." He didn't respond. "Okay, then, go grab your bags, time to go."

He brightened noticeably, and scurried quickly out of the room.

**o.O.o**

Narcissa was outside tending to one of her many gardens when Binky appeared to announce the arrival of her guests. Dusting off her robes, she stood, and turned towards the house. Hugo was already at the door when she arrived, grinning. "Hi Nana!"

She smiled at him. "Hello, dear. Where is your mother?"

He opened his mouth, but Hermione entered the entrance hall at that moment. "I'm here, Narcissa. Someone decided it was a good idea to pitch his things all over the other room." She held up the bag and his ragged trainers.

"The house elves get that stuff, Mum," he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You, young man, are quite capable of taking care of your own things, or at the very least _asking_ a house-elf to help you."

He turned to look back at his grandmother. "She just doesn't understand, does she Nana?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with your mother, dear. You could do it yourself."

Looking a bit defeated, he changed the subject. "Where's Grandfather?"

Narcissa shook her head slightly; he was very much like Draco when he was young. "He is in his study, but first you should take your things and put them away."

His face soured. "Yes, Nana." Turning, he took the objects in question from his mother and hurried over to the massive stairs.

Hermione smiled sweetly at her little boy. "I'm glad he listens to someone. Sometimes he can be so stubborn!" Narcissa laughed.

"He really is a sweet boy. I simply cannot wait to meet Rose."

The younger woman stiffened. "Rose still doesn't seem to be taking all of this as well. She may never come to terms with this chaos," she warned. "She won't even answer my letters."

"I'm sure she'll come along eventually." Narcissa didn't add that her own letters were being answered quickly. "Will you stay for tea, dear? I could use a bit myself after being outside."

She nodded aimlessly. "Of course, I'd love to." She paused for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "Will Draco be here this weekend?"

Her interest piqued. "Yes, I'd say so. He doesn't have any plans that I'm aware of. Did you need to speak with him?"

"Yes," she said, and then added quickly, "but it isn't about anything important. Perhaps I'll just send him an owl, it would probably be easier."

The two witches let the conversation drop to easier things, the weather, Hermione's work, and Hugo's favorite foods. They talked for well over an hour, mostly about nothing, before Hermione said her goodbyes. At the end of it, Narcissa felt a bit sad. Here was a girl that she could spend quality time with, who was lovely and sweet and smart, and who her son loved very much. Yes, Hermione would have made an excellent daughter-in-law, and instead she'd gotten stuck with the hateful witch that was Astoria.

Sighing, she left the sitting room, and made her way to the kitchens to start the elves on tonight's dinner, and then to work on her latest project.

**o.O.o**

All was silent on one of the hills that watched over Ottery St. Catchpole, until the sharp crack announced the appearance of Harry Potter. Harry and Ginny's home was a lovely piece of property that they had built shortly after their marriage. It was newer and much less chaotic, but it was very much like the Burrow.

The moment he had appeared the front door cracked open and a little girl with fiery red hair appeared. Harry smiled at his little girl and kneeled down to catch her in a hug. All of his worries from the last few weeks drifted to the back of his mind for the moment.

"Hi Daddy!" she cried, leaping into his arms.

He kissed her forehead, "Hello, Lily. How was your day?"

She stepped back and chattered about her day. "And Alice stole my favorite pencil! Can you believe that Daddy? Just took it right out of my hand!"

Harry laughed and straightened himself out. He grabbed her tiny hand and looked at her. "Did you get it back?"

She nodded, pulling him towards the house. "Yes, I did, and then Miss Bones got all mad at me for yelling. But if she didn't take my things, I wouldn't have to yell!"

Shaking his head slightly, he tried to scold the girl, "You still shouldn't yell, sweetheart."

She turned her big brown eyes on him. "But _Daddy_," she whined.

"It's okay, Lily. You didn't get in any real trouble did you?" She shook her head, the smile returning to her face. "Now let's go see what your mum is cooking for dinner."

Inside the warm smell of freshly baked bread and some kind of chicken floated lazily through the air. His stomach rumbled.

"Hi Harry," his wife greeted him, stirring a pot on the stove.

He smiled, pulling away from Lily, and kissed her on the cheek. "Hey Gin."

"Oh, did you talk to Ron today? Lily has been lonely, and I'm sure Hugo has been too," she said, removing the spoon and setting it down. She looked over her shoulder at him. "Well?"

He made a face that suggested he really didn't want to talk about it. "Ron's still acting strange. I think they've been fighting again." He sighed; Ron and Hermione always had the worst of fights. "But he said no, that Hugo was supposed to be going over to his grandparents' house for the weekend."

"That's what Hermione told me last week, too." In the month since the children had been gone, something had gone horribly wrong in his best friends' marriage. They hadn't once visited them, or ask to have them over. Hermione and Hugo hadn't been coming to the Sunday lunches as the Burrow, and Ron had seemed to be somewhere between utterly miserable and absolutely furious.

In fact, no one had seen hide or hair of Hugo since the first of September, at the train station. Ginny huffed and turned back to her cooking. Something was wrong, very, very wrong, and he suspected it had everything to do with Draco Malfoy, and the reason he had appeared on the night Hugo had ran off.

Lily suddenly grabbed his hand, and he looked down at her. "Yes, Lily?"

"Did you hear me, Daddy? I asked if you wanted to see the new dress I told you about earlier!"

He thought back, trying to remember her saying anything about a dress, but he couldn't recall a thing. "Oh, all right. Where is this dress of yours?"

She beamed at him, and tugged him towards the stairs. Ginny glanced at them quickly, and shook her head with a smile. He couldn't help he had a soft spot for the girl, could he? He was wrapped around her little fingers though.

**o.O.o**

Draco poured himself another drink. Then another. Hell, he might as well drink from the actual bottle; the dark liquid was almost gone anyway.

"If you get sick on my wife's new rug, she'll skin you alive, mate." Draco turned and glared at the man, who was now trying to remove the precious bottle from his fingers. He jerked it away and hid it behind his back. Blaise sighed and threw himself back into his chair. "Are you ever going to tell me what this is about, or are you going to move in? You're here almost more than I am!"

He went to say something awful, but he moved his head too quickly and the room spun. Maybe one bottle had been enough. When it slowed to a stop, he answered, "Can't a man visit a friend and enjoy his stock of alcohol?"

"You have your own bloody store at home, Draco, and yet you are avoiding the Manor, and your parents."

"And my wife," he growled. _And the love of my life, and my kids, too. _

"Who your mother sent on a shopping trip to New York. Pansy went too, you know." Blaise looked towards the fireplace, running a hand through his wavy hair. "And I come home, hoping to enjoy a quiet night at home without my wife and daughter, and instead find you, drinking your way into a coma!"

Draco ignored that comment, he knew the real reason behind all of that, because it was also the reason he was here now. He didn't know what to do, perhaps he ought to tell Blaise, although he would laugh and tell him he was foolish.

Deciding he was getting nowhere, Blaise changed the topic. "Have you seen Weasley lately? I've heard he's been screaming at anyone within ten meters of him. And Potter threatened to send him home for the day if he couldn't keep his mouth shut."

Draco looked up again. What was that supposed to mean? "So. What would I care? Potty and Weasel can shout all they want." But he did care, he cared a great deal.

"Potter also said something about Granger hiding herself away for a month, and that one of the brats, the boy, hadn't been seen since he ran away." He snorted. "If my father was anything like Weasley, I'd run off too, wouldn't you?"

Hermione had been hiding? Wasn't she going to work? He knew Hugo was fine, he'd just seen him, but he was avidly avoiding Hermione. Maybe she was upset that he hadn't seen her or written her for a month, even after he promised to fix everything.

Something about his reaction must have caught Blaise's eye. "Still have a soft spot for the golden princess?" he asked, a sly smirk creeping over his features. "That is what all of this is about, isn't it?" Draco pried the bottle open and took yet another drink. "Are you the reason Weasley is all upset?" he laughed suddenly. "Don't tell me he just found out about your little affair all of those years ago, did he?"

That was a bit closer than he would like to admit. He probably shouldn't have talked to this bastard about that either, but he certainly wasn't going to listen to that advice now. "No, he's always known. I'm the one that just learned some grand news." He said it sourly, as he turned his scowl back to his friend. "Well, aren't you going to congratulate me? I just had two new children, even if they are half way grown up!"

Blaise choked on his own words. "What?" he gasped. Then he laughed. "Weasley's little red-headed brats?"

"They do not have red hair!" Funny that would be the part he objected to. Maybe he should smash Blaise's head in for calling his children brats.

"The girl does. What's her name…? It's some kind of flower isn't it?"

"Rose. Her name is Rose." He voice was coming out a bit rough, but the moment he thought of the girl he'd only seen in pictures, something else took over him. "And she's blond, Blaise, just like me. She has my eyes too, and my mother's nose. She's even a Slytherin!"

Blaise still didn't look like he believed him, so he carried on, "And Mother says Hugo acts just like me when I was young. He's stubborn as hell, too. My parents _love_ him, especially Father. He seems to like him much better than he likes Scorpius, and he's only been around for a month!" Thinking of Scorpius made him a little lonely; he hadn't written him since school started. "Rose apparently has taking to calling him 'Scorpi', of all the ridiculous nicknames. They get along quite well."

Then he stood, a smile plastered on his tired face. "I'm going home, I think. Yes, I'll go to bed and spend the day with Hugo." Then he spun and disappeared, failing to catch the utter look of bewilderment that marred Blaise's face.


	9. Fights and Friendship

**A.N. Chapter 8, back at good ole Hogwarts!**

**Oh, and while we are here might as well answer some questions. I plan on thanking every reviewer personally some time down the road, but in the meantime I was asked:**

**Is Natasha's mom pansy or Astoria/Daphne Greengrass? 'Cause she sounds like one of them.**

**Natasha is the daughter of Blaise and Pansy. She acts a lot like Pansy, I think, which I was trying to bring out in her. She makes an appearance later in this chapter, along with Gemma Goyle, daughter of Millicent Bulstrode and Greggory Goyle. Scorpius told Rose earlier that he doesn't have any cousins, meaning that Daphne doesn't have children, and Astoria is of course Scorpi's mother.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Fights and Friendship<strong>

By the fifth week of school many of the students had lost interest in the little first year that had changed her appearance. A few of her classmates continued to whisper about her, and she knew that the Slytherins were not convinced by her story, but she listened to Scorpius's advice, turning her nose up at those that whispered, and pretending not to care.

Al and Scorpius were the only ones who knew the entire story, or rather, everything she knew, and she hadn't been inclined to tell the rest of the family either, even though they asked, a lot really. In fact they were the only ones brave enough to talk about it in front of her. Al had opened that can of worms, and if he wished, _he _could be the one to sit down and repeat it. It wasn't her problem anymore.

Having her mother's brains had helped her catch up quickly, and it was as if she hadn't ever missed a day. Scorpius groaned at her every time she pulled him into the library to study, but she felt it was highly important to live up to her mother's name, because surely Hugo wouldn't. Every time she mentioned her mother, who she still wasn't speaking to out of principle, Scorpius turned on his little attitude and said something about how wonderful _their_ father was. He especially liked to say it just loud enough that anyone nearby would hear them, but only to bother her. It wasn't so much that he feared what she would do, but he was more concerned about what his, or rather their, grandmother might do if he told anyone too soon.

Of the adults that had anything to do with her life, Narcissa Malfoy was the only one she responded to. Not that she didn't read her mother's letters, or enjoy the present she had been sent. When she had first received the letter from Narcissa, who she tried to remind herself to call 'Nana,' Scorpius had warned her to either answer her back, or she would hold it over her head for the rest of eternity. Apparently her new grandmother had a wicked streak.

In the end, Rose found that she liked this woman a great deal, at least through the letters. She might not be so wonderful in person, after all. Nana Malfoy had sent her the most beautiful bracelet she had ever seen, white gold and emeralds, which matched the locket her mother had given her. Which she still couldn't get open, by the way. They talked about all sorts of things, and when she had asked to visit one weekend, Rose gladly accepted, if Professor McGonagall would allow it. Scorpius would be invited too, if he behaved himself.

She tried to pretend she was angry, and she desperately wanted to hide her curiosity on the whole matter, but it was difficult. For many long years she hand wondered why she hadn't really fit in among her cousins and the rest of the Weasleys. Since her discovery, Rose often wondered about her real father, this mysterious Draco Malfoy she had seen once, at a distance, but if she was going to be mad, she really couldn't be all that interested. Scorpius told her some things, Narcissa told her others, but she had not once heard from the man himself. Her nightmares seemed to be a lot more like reality.

She sighed and slammed her Transfiguration book closed. She wasn't getting any studying done anyway, with her head spinning like this. Rose stood, packed away her books, and with her bag slung over her shoulder, she decided to find her bothersome ex-cousin or her equally annoying older brother, whoever decided to show up first.

**o.O.o**

Natasha tossed her hair over her shoulder angrily. Nothing she and her gaggle of girls did seemed to distract Scorpius at all. The little Weasley brat continued to be everywhere he was, even if she was covered in a bad glamour that made her look like a Malfoy herself. Scorpius had even taken to speaking with the rest of the Weasleys which included the Potters. He spent more time with the Gryffindors than he did with anyone else.

Infuriated, she turned to the massive blond beside her. "Gemma! Go get me a quill." The girl in question bunched up her thick eyebrows. She had her mother's looks and her father's brains, she'd been told. Eventually she stood and riffled through her bag, pulling out a bent quill, a bottle of ink, and a ragged slip of parchment. She handed these things to Natasha, who snagged them quickly and started in on her plotting.

Damn them for being so difficult! This should have been easy, and if she didn't hurry it up, they'd soon be reaching an age where hanging out with a pretty girl wouldn't be so innocent. Relationships between Slytherins, of any sex, were never innocent, whether they are couples or partners in crime.

She scrawled across the wrinkled paper, not caring to use her delicate writing. In her frustration she ripped the parchment, and, just a moment or so later, snapped the tip of the quill. She hissed angrily and shoved the offensive materials away. She had to think of something, anything that would ruin Rose forever.

**o.O.o**

After an hour of hiding, a delicate art in the Malfoy family, Scorpius decided that it was probably safe to exit this deserted class room and to find something else to do. Rose wouldn't have wasted this much time trying to find him when she could be off studying. The room he'd chosen was on the seventh floor, which was a poor choice, but the only thing available at the time, and not a second after he exited the useless bit of space he met a Weasley.

It was strange how nice they were to him, and he really didn't like it at all, but it made Rose a bit happier about the situation, so if she had been around, he would have spoken. Instead he nodded to the red haired boy and went in the opposite direction. Around another corner, and there was another one, the blond seventh year that spoke French all the time. They just appeared everywhere he went! He thought about that, perhaps if he wasn't hiding on the seventh floor near the portrait to Gryffindor Tower, he wouldn't see so many of them.

When he finally reached the stairs, he met his least favorite of all the Weasleys, who really was a Potter.

"Malfoy," he greeted angrily. "What are you doing up here?"

He smirked. "Oh, nothing important, Potter. Just visiting with a few of your cousins." He didn't seem to like that. His face grew a bit red, and he balled up his fists. Scorpius quirked an eyebrow, "Does that bother you, Potter?"

"Stay away from my family, Malfoy. Haven't you stolen enough of them?"

"Oh, you wouldn't mean Rose would you? You don't even _speak_ to her anymore." And she tried all the time to sit with him or talk to the family; Al wanted nothing to do with her. "Maybe she's better off in Slytherin, if her best friend won't even talk to her."

"Yeah, maybe she does. She's a stinking Malfoy after all."

Ooh, how he wanted to knock the boy right back down the stairs. He stepped forward only to be cut off by the girl in question.

**o.O.o**

"What do you mean by that, Al?" Rose asked, scowling at the boy.

"Nothing, Rose. Never mind."

"No, Potter, answer the question. What did you mean?" Scorpius sneered from behind her. "Come on, Potter, where's the Gryffindor courage now? Not afraid of two stinking Slytherins are you?"

"Shut up, Scorpius, I can handle this all of my own!" she huffed, shooting him a look over her shoulder. She turned back to the other boy. "Tell me, Al."

"I didn't mean it, Rose. I just got angry. I'm sorry," he told her, but he certainly didn't look sorry. His face was still slightly red and his fists were clenched at his sides.

Sighing, Rose dropped her wand, and stepped to the side. "Can't you two just get along? It'd be so much easier if I could enjoy spending time with _both_ of my friends, instead of always having to break up fights!"

Both of the boys turned their eyes on each other. Scorpius shrugged his shoulders, as if he could care less. Al growled out a short, "Fine!" and they stepped a bit closer. One would think they were being sent to their deaths. Al was the bigger man in the end, and held out his hand. They shook and separated instantly, so much for best friends forever. Knowing this was the best she was going to get, Rose decided to lighten the conversation.

"This place is frightfully dull, don't you think?" she asked them. "I think Fred and James would lend us their brooms if we asked nicely, don't you Al?"

Al brightened. "Sure. They should be in the common room now, I'll go ask."

Rose looked to Scorpius; he had placed his blank mask over his features. "Ask Dom, too, won't you?"

Her brother smirked, and Al darkened. "All right, then. If she's in there." He muttered the password and the Fat Lady swung open. The moment he was gone, they turned to look at each other.

"First years aren't allowed brooms, you know," Scorpius said. "It's too dangerous, or something."

Rose smirked back at him. "We aren't allowed brooms of our own. No one said we could borrow someone else's." He rolled his eyes, amused.

Al came back a moment later, dragging behind his older brother and cousin. All three had glossy brooms slung over their shoulders. When Rose raised an eyebrow in question, Al muttered, "They want to know what they'll be up against next year."

James laughed, and turned to ruffle the boy's messy hair. "You can never be too careful, bro. If Malfoy here can fly half as well as Rose, we'll be screwed come next fall, eh, Fred?"

The redhead snorted. "You give her too much credit, James. She can fly, but she won't share." Fred looked over at her, smiling, "She'll still tryout, though, won't you, Rose?"

She swatted her hand at him, talking with Scorpius. "You can fly, can't you?" She sure hoped he could, but she had no idea, they didn't waste time talking about Quidditch.

Now it was his turn to snort. "'Course I can! Dad bought me a Falcon 300 as an early birthday present." Rose fought the urge to drool, she didn't like _talking_ about Quidditch every ten minutes, but she appreciated a nice broom, and the Falcons were the best, and the 300 was the newest model. She was still riding an old Nimbus!

"Owning a broom doesn't mean you can fly, idiot."

James cut off his response, "What position do you play, Malfoy?"

Looking bored, he answered, "Seeker, like my father."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Al grow a bit red again. Al wanted to be a seeker, too.

**o.O.o**

Al glowered up at the pair flitting around in the sky. Dom's broom was lying next to him on the ground, but he no longer felt like flying. Even James and Fred got tired of being out here. Rose spun again, as he watched, tripping Scorpius up. He dived to avoid her.

How did his life get so out of control? How could everything change in one night? And it wasn't even his life that had been built on lies! He still couldn't wrap his head around the whole thing and wondered why they accepted it so well. They'd known each other for just over a month, but they were family, in more than just looks. They understood each other, more so than Al could ever imagine, better than he understood his own brother. They were like long lost twins.

If he had found out that he had a different father, he didn't know what he might do, but he certainly wouldn't be _happy_ about it.

Above him, Rose made another hairpin turn, her long blond hair flaring out behind her. Scorpius wasn't ready for her this time, he was too close, and they plowed into each other. Rose got hit hardest, and she rolled over on the broom, clutching to the thin piece of wood with one hand. Scorpius was disoriented, but he righted his path, darting to pull her back up. Al, too, jumped into action, grabbing the broom at his side and speeding up to her side.

She had squealed when she fell, but now she had a look of pure determination on her face. Rose grabbed the broom with her free hand, and pulled herself up a bit. Scorpius came to her rescue, shoving her up onto the broom. Al was right behind them.

"You all right, Rose?"

She nodded, a bit out of breath. "My fault," she gasped between breaths. "Stupid."

Then he three of them laughed. When Rose had caught her breath, they landed easily on the ground, and the three headed to return the brooms before dinner.

They stopped by the girl's lavatory, and Al made an attempt to actually talk to Scorpius. He smirked at his horrible joke. When Rose returned, they were deep in a deep discussion about Quidditch. They shared the same favorite team, the Appleby Arrows, and the same favorite position.

Al invited them to sit with the family for dinner, looking directly at Scorpius. He smiled, and looked to Rose. She beamed, and said, "I'm glad my near death experience made you all friends, but if you don't mind, I'd rather be eating than out here with you fools."

They followed her to the Great Hall, and they shared a fantastic meal, laughing and carrying on. Al thought that Scorpius wasn't so bad after all, and that they could possibly be friends. When they parted ways after dinner, he was still smiling. Maybe life wasn't so bad after all.

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><p><strong>A.N. Alright. Fine then. Guessing my names a bit too easily. :P<strong>

**Points go to: KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, and** ** musicluva4eva**

**They guessed Orion and Lyra correctly. But those are easy, I think my middle names are a bit harder. My profile has been updated. **

**Hint #1 - The second twin is named for a Roman Emperor. On his Wikipedia page it states that he, conveniently, knew a man named Lucius.**

** Hint #2 - The unknown child (the oldest of the four) is a girl. Her name is within the top 50 names listed by the SSA for 2010.  
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	10. Heartbreak and Connections

**A.N. OMG! I actually got this chapter up on time! Trust me, I'm just as amazed as you all are! Anyways... I really don't know if I like this chapter... It _bothers_ me to no end, but I can't think of another way to get at what I want. Draco and Hugo make it all better though. :) I do love Hugo, he reminds me of my little brother. In fact, I used Nick to school Hugo's actions in the last few chapters, especially the part about the nightmares...**

**I do hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm working on the next one now, since the writer's block is gone. I'm having fun with a Quidditch match!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 9 – Heartbreak and Connections<strong>

Ron returned from work to find Hermione humming to herself and flipping through photo albums. They had two sets of albums, two books per kid. Both of Rose's were deep red, and Hugo's were dark blue. Hermione continued to flip through the pictures, not paying attention to him, she hadn't even said hello.

In reality he was used to this side of her, she was often quiet and withdrawn, as she had been when they had first met in first year. Other times she was loud and laughing, happy. He wished he could make her happy, and it broke his heart to let her go the first time.

"_When did we stop talking to each other?" she asked one day, as they sat in the living room, ignoring each other. Ron glanced across the tiny flat, to the place where Hermione sat, feet curled underneath her and a thick Muggle book in her hand._

_He gave her a puzzled look. "We talk to each other all the time."_

_She sighed, closing the book softly and looking to the mantle where their pictures were scattered, along with pictures of his family and her parents. "We don't talk about anything important. I think we're stuck." She nodded, like she had proved something to herself._

"_Stuck?" he asked. What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

_She ignored his question. "Harry proposed to Ginny yesterday, did you know?"_

_He nodded. Harry told him he was going to last week. He went to help his best mate pick out a ring. "They've been together forever," he told her, but then, so had they._

"_And Bill and Fleur are getting ready to have another baby. Your mother said it was another girl."_

_He felt like his throat was a bit tight, and he pulled at his shirt. He didn't like this conversation. Ron opened his mouth, but he couldn't force out a sound._

_She looked him right in the eye. "Don't you want that someday, Ron?" He nodded his throat still tight. "But you don't want that now, do you?"_

_He shook his head, and finally understood. He was holding her back, because he wasn't ready to move forward. Not yet. He wanted to make his own way first, she already had her whole life planned, and he wasn't ready._

"_I thought so," she said sadly. She set her book aside and went to the window that over looked the city. "I don't know what to do," she whispered to herself, but he heard. And better yet he knew what he had to do._

"_You don't have to be stuck, 'Mione," he whispered back, getting up and coming up behind her. "I'm not ready yet, but if you are, go find someone else who is. I don't want you to be unhappy."_

_She turned to him, the first of her tears poured down her cheeks. He wrapped her in his arms, and pulled her close. She cried for a long time, and by the end he was crying too._

They had parted a few weeks later, as friends. They still loved each other greatly, but she was ready to go, and he did nothing to stop her. He had learned several things over the years, especially through the war and Fred nearly dying. He had hoped that letting her go would prove his love for her, and that she would someday come back. She did, but she was a changed person, and a mother-to-be.

He stepped towards her, glancing at the album, surprised that she had the one they kept in the living room out. This was the one where the kids still looked like his. These pictures had him in them, and her, their mostly happy family.

Hermione looked up at him, smiling sadly. Tears threatened to overflow from her eyes. He felt bad for ever saying a mean word to her. He knelt down and placed a swift kiss on her cheek, smiling back at her.

It was time to break his own heart, again, so that she could be happy.

**o.O.o**

With this new mood overtaking him, Draco was feeling considerably better. He'd put off his promises for long enough, he'd sulked and complained, mostly to himself. He was still angry at Hermione, angry at himself for doing this to her, and he couldn't decide who he wanted to blame more. Talking to Blaise, even if his friend hadn't believed him, made him realize that he wasn't angry with the children.

They hadn't asked to be born, hadn't asked to have their world thrown upside down. He'd missed a lot of years with them, and he didn't intend to prolong that any more, at least not with them. Draco knew he would have to face Hermione eventually; he wasn't lying when he said he still loved her, because he did, and probably would for the rest of his life. It hadn't seemed real at first, the thought of them having two children, heavily disguised though they might be.

It was so unbelievable, even with the pictures clutched in his hands, and the strange little discs he didn't know how to use; he had smiled and made promises. He was still floating by dinner that evening; he even spoke to his father about leaving Astoria. He was already forming plans in the back of his mind, about their happily ever after, when she appeared in the dining room.

He was angry then too, angry at his father's reaction, angry that she might mess up his plans for them, but that quickly left him when he really looked at her. Her shoes and pants were covered in muck, her robes dripping from the powerful rain. Fear over took him and he rushed to her.

Hugo was missing, and suddenly everything became much more real. Her pain was real, and he had no idea what to do. He followed her lead, lost. He didn't even know what to feel. He was worried about the boy, true, and he was hurting for the woman by his side. The fear in her eyes terrified him, and amplified his own emotions.

Thinking back, it was really quite funny. She stormed in shortly after the boy had arrived, and while they panicked and frantically searched all over the country, he was sleeping peacefully in the sitting room just down the hall. They came back, and he instantly felt Hermione relax. He took one look at the boy and knew he wasn't in a dream. Hugo was just as real as Scorpius, and Rose surely was as well.

Hermione told her story and persuaded Hugo to return with her, promising that he could visit whenever they would have him. The bribe worked, and he was left with his parents. Draco couldn't take their excited conversation, it grated on his nerves, so he stood and left the room without excusing himself. They didn't even ask where he was headed.

_For the next month he sat alone, or with Blaise, and tried to clear his head. It didn't really help, and he was still lost. He avoided everyone else, and none of them seemed to mind. Then, today, when he had entered the massive house, he spotted the small pair of shoes in the hall. Ignoring the nagging feeling that he should run off, he hurried up the stairs, passing the open bedroom his mother had decorated for Hugo. Apparently his favorite color was blue, like the room._

_From the playroom, which was just up the hall, he heard a loud crash, and went to investigate. Hugo stood in the middle of the room, face red from effort, and a massive fort, erected of cushions and blankets and toys, was built around him. One corner in the back had toppled over, causing the crash, and Hugo was trying to set it right again._

_Despite himself, Draco grinned. He extracted his wand, raised the odds and ends back into a secure stack, and watched as the boy turned towards the door, puzzled. He instantly looked ashamed._

_Puzzled himself, Draco asked a simple question, "What?"_

"_You aren't going to get on to me for making a mess?" he asked, astonished. His voice quieted, "Or for stealing the cushions and pillows?"_

_Draco pondered the last statement and examined the fort again. From what he could see, Hugo had gotten things from several different rooms, and his comforter was draped over the corner he had just repaired. He laughed, and shook his head. "You didn't steal anything from your grandparents did you?" he asked. He almost choked on the word 'grandparents' and remembered he was supposed to be pouting. Hugo shook his head. "All right, then, just put everything back when you're done."_

_Then he left. He went to his bedroom, changed out of his work clothes, and went to visit Blaise again._

Now he was back, standing outside of the boy's door, which was half open. He was sound asleep, sprawled on his stomach, with a magical nightlight flashing dim lights over the walls. Draco felt ashamed that he had run from him earlier, and more ashamed that he had doused himself in booze before he had the nerve to return.

It was only just after midnight, and Draco hoped to wake up in the morning and find some way to make it right for the boy.

**o.O.o**

Hugo gasped into his pillow, opening his eyes wide. The room was eerily dark in the corner he was looking toward, so he rolled over. The nightlight still danced with images of snitches and brooms on that side, but it didn't really help. He'd had another nightmare about the lady in the bathroom coming to get him, and he was trembling under the covers.

The massive, dark house didn't help him either. It was creepy here at night. Embarrassed by the thought of it, Hugo desperately wished he was at home and that his mother was nearby. He stayed where he was, curled in a tight ball, and willed himself to go back to sleep. That didn't help him either.

After twenty minutes of starring at the back of his eyelids, he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, at least not here. He reached around and grabbed the fluffy throw he had brought from home, the one his mother had made him for his new bedroom. Nana thought it was lovely and had it placed at the foot of his bed, he thought it was a bit ridiculous looking, and crooked, but it helped now.

He wrapped the pale blue blanket around his shoulders, and hurried to the door, grabbing his nightlight as he went. Hugo didn't even pause to pull on his slippers. In the hall, he stopped abruptly. Where should he go?

He didn't want his grandfather to see him like this, and he couldn't get to his grandmother without waking him up, but he wasn't sure his father had ever come home. With his room being closer, Hugo scurried to the end of the hall where the master bedroom could be found. The doors were shut, but not locked, and they didn't even squeak as he pushed them open.

His bare feet sank into the plush carpet of the sitting area, and he could make out the opening to the actual bedroom. He moved quietly to the door. Even if his father was here, he wasn't sure he wanted to wake him up. Would he laugh? Or yell? Maybe he would make him go back to his bedroom, and take the nightlight away from him.

He stopped in his tracks, looking at the king sized bed in the middle of the room. On one side of the bed he could clearly see the mound that was his father. He took a sharp breath. Did he dare go any farther? Maybe he could just curl up on the loveseat in the sitting area. Still he didn't move. But the man did.

**o.O.o**

Draco woke when the bedroom door popped open. He was a bit paranoid, and didn't want anyone to sneak up on him in the middle of the night, and it had made him an incredibly light sleeper. He knew the boy had entered the room, but he was confused at why he might have entered without knocking.

When Hugo stopped, he could make out the boys ragged breathing, and after a few moments, he sat up. "Hugo?" he questioned, although he could see the boy in the pale moonlight.

He seemed to be wrapped in a misshapen blanket of some sort, and he was trembling. It was October, but it wasn't that cold in the Manor. "Are you all right?"

The boy seemed to be contemplating on running away. Instead he went to the other side of the bed and climbed up. Draco looked at him in confusion. He was shaking his head furiously.

"I had a nightmare," he finally whispered. He seemed embarrassed.

He didn't know what to say to that, so he merely answered, "Oh."

After a few silent moments, Hugo still sat there waiting on him to say something else. He was still dumbfounded. "Dad?"

His heart leapt into his throat. "Yes?" he croaked.

"I asked if I could sleep in here tonight," he said quickly, "so I don't have any more nightmares."

He still felt strange, and the question through him off guard. When he was young he wasn't even allowed in his parents' bedroom, and Scorpius very rarely entered the sitting area, let alone the actual bedroom. He didn't really see the harm in letting him stay; the bed was monstrous for one person, so he said, "Sure."

Hugo widened his bright eyes, and launched himself at him. He hugged him back after a stunned moment, and felt the beginnings of a tired smile creep onto his face. Draco ruffled his hair and didn't say a word as the boy placed the little light on the other nightstand. He lay down on the opposite side of the bed, close enough to reach out and touch him, but far enough away that he wouldn't be taking up that much space. Draco lay back down too; his back to the boy, the he turned abruptly and opened his mouth.

"Do you like to fly?" he asked.

Hugo shook his head. "I don't like heights. Neither does Mum." Draco smiled, he knew that. "Rose does though. She wants to be a chaser."

"What would you like to do tomorrow then?"

The boy gave him a look, and then put some thought into the actual question. "I like to _watch_ Quidditch, I just don't fly. Mum says I'm wicked at chess, but then she really, really sucks." He smiled sweetly, and then yawned.

Draco smiled back at him, "All right, go to bed. We'll talk more in the morning." Hugo nodded, and when he had finally settled back into the mattress the boy poked him gently.

"Dad?" he asked. Draco turned his head in acknowledgment, but he didn't roll back over. "What happens now?"

He wished he knew what to say, but he didn't know himself. He said as much. "Go to bed, Hugo. It'll be all right, you'll see." At least he hoped so.

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><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews**** everybody. Unfortunately, no one made any progress in our little game.** **To musicluva4eva**, **you are on the right track. So very, very close, however it is not Marcus. And the oldest of the four is not a Malfoy.**

**Hint - Love is a pretty nasty force in this story. It ****is a major factor, and continues to be important. One of the children is named after this force, in one way or another.**


	11. Bludgers and Beans Part 1

**A.N. Hello all! This ones finally finished. I have no idea why this one was so hard to write. Perhaps it's all of the other ideas wrestling around in my brain! I'm resisting the urge to start another fic about Draco... and a little girl. I seem to be unable to write anything that doesn't have kids in it somewhere. Lol.**

**To all of my American readers, I do hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. I certainly did! (Now to get a hold of some of that deer meat that's floating around my family.)**

**Anyways, I do hope you enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 – Bludgers and Beans Part 1<strong>

Draco woke up with something hard pressed into his lower back. He shifted, still half asleep, wanting a few more moments of sleep, the hard object followed him, but it was no longer pressed against him. It moved again, a slight twitch. He opened his eyes, annoyed, and attempted to slide farther away. He was pressed to the edge of the bed, and had nowhere else to go.

Irritated further, he decided it was best just to get up. He sat up slowly, rubbing a hand over one eye, his head pounded dully. Groaning, he turned to look over his shoulder to find the offensive object that had interrupted his slumber. When he saw the boy, he remembered him coming in the night before, and smiled. It had been Hugo's foot that had been pressed against him.

The boy looked like a mess. He was sprawled as far as he could stretch his body, and had turned himself in the wrong direction in the bed. His hair stuck straight up in the back, and was plastered to his face in the front. One hand clutched the poorly made blanket he had come in with yesterday, the corner of it over the other side of the bed. The pillows were messed up, the blanket ripped away.

Chuckling silently, Draco checked the time, found it only six o'clock, which was much too early to get on at on a Saturday, and went to the other side of the bed. He easily extracted the blanket, pulling the soft material off the floor and he draped over the sleeping boy. Then he left the room and went to find his mother.

**o.O.o**

Hermione woke the next morning just after seven, which was a little late for her, but today she didn't mind. She pulled a robe over her night clothes, and put on a fuzzy pair of slippers. She felt a bit lighter today than she had in a very long time, though there really wasn't a reason for it.

In the kitchen, she made herself some toast and turned on the telly. It made for nice company when the children were gone, not that she liked to watch much television, she just liked the noise. Hermione waited patiently for the toaster to pop, spread some strawberry jelly over the toast and curled back up on the couch. She watched the weather, and listened to the Muggle news, while she ate, and thought about Hugo.

She hoped he was okay, and that he had survived his first night at the Manor. It wasn't the brightest, happiest place for a nightmare ridden little boy, but she was confident he would be all right. After her small breakfast, Hermione remembered that she hadn't checked the mail, and walked over to the little basket she kept near the door.

Ron had placed all of the morning's mail in the basket, which was pleasant, because he didn't always get that far. She pulled the three envelopes out, and examined them closely.

One was from her boss, telling her about a new client that had come forward requesting her services, even though she had taken herself off of case duty. The second was a letter from Luna, reminding her of the twins' birthday party in a few weeks. The last letter caught her off guard, it was from Draco.

She had been waiting for his response for weeks now, and she had nearly given up hope that he would ever write back to her. She pulled up a chair, and ripped open the envelope. The letter had no proper greeting.

_Hello Granger, have you missed me? I have missed you greatly, over these many years. I have been foolish over the last few weeks, and for that I am sorry, but that is not the reason for this letter. Would you like to join us for dinner tonight? Seven o'clock just like always._

_Draco_

Hermione giggled like a school girl. What would this mean for them? Dinner with the family, aside from Scorpius and Rose, would be an interesting affair, she just knew it.

**o.O.o**

Draco sat back in his seat, handing Hugo a bag of what looked like bright red popcorn. The boy took the bag happily. "You just missed it!" he said excitedly. "Morgan just got _bashed_ by a Bludger! They pulled her out of the game!"

He turned to the pitch, instantly spotting the new player for the Harpies. Personally he was a Kestrels fan, but Hugo had revealed he liked the Magpies, who just happened to be playing one of the first matches of the season this weekend. The Harpies were taking a nasty beating today, much to the boy's amusement.

He was merely happy to have something to keep his mind off of that little note he'd owled off this morning. What had possessed him to do that? She probably didn't want to see him anyway! Beside him, Hugo giggled as he shoved a handful of the cracking corn into to his mouth. The red bits snapped and crackled in his mouth. Draco smiled; he was a happy little boy most of the time. He knew that he'd never been that carefree in his youth. Even Scorpius wasn't like that, even though he'd had a fairly happy childhood, if he did say so himself.

"_Ooh!" _Hugo moaned. "Did you see that, Dad?"

"What?" he asked, coming out of his thoughts. "What did I miss?"

"The goal! Thomas just made a goal!" He turned away quickly scanning the skies. "Was that the snitch?"

**o.O.o**

Ron arrived back home just after noon, he found the house curiously empty. He unlocked the front door and let himself in. Their muggle television was still on, the disembodied voices carried into the front hall, and Hermione had placed a pair of sandwiches on the kitchen counter.

She hadn't, however, left a note. Ron kicked off his shoes, pulled off his robes, and loosened his tie, before grabbing his plate and heading for the sofa. Hermione returned an hour later, clutching a long bag and a box, to find him watching a strange show on the television.

"Ron?" she called, stepping into the kitchen. He made a strange noise that might have been a reply. Sticking her head through the living room door way, she spotted his sprawled form. "Are you alive?"

He turned his face towards her, looking about half asleep. After a moment he groaned and pulled himself into a sitting position. "Hey, 'Mione. Where'd you go?"

She smiled brightly at him. "Shopping. I had to pick out a new dress for tonight. You don't mind if I go out to dinner do you?"

"Out to… What?" He gave her a perplexed look. "Where are you going?"

She had the sense to look a little ashamed, but Hermione was having trouble hiding her excitement. "Draco wants me to come over for dinner with the family." She shifted the bags carefully in her arms. "Would you mind?"

Something dark coated his features, but he shrugged. "No. Go have fun." After a few moments of staring into space, he shoved himself off of the couch. "I'm going out too."

Hermione watched him warily, but nodded. Hoping he wouldn't do anything too destructive.

**o.O.o**

Hermione arrived at Malfoy Manor by six thirty, hoping to catch a word with Draco before having her every move criticized. The front doors swung open at her touch, and she was greeted by Binky.

"Good evening, Miss. May I take your cloak?" he asked smartly, causing Hermione to beam at him.

She removed the garment quickly, and smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress robes. "Thank you, Binky. Is Draco home yet?"

The elf used magic to hang her cloak in a nearby nook. "Yes, Miss. Master Draco and Master Hugo arrived just a few minutes ago. They went upstairs to change for supper."

Hermione nodded, thanked him again, and made her way to Draco's wing of the house. As she entered the hallway, Hugo's bedroom door popped open.

The boy stepped out of the room, brushing his bangs into his eyes the way he liked. When Hugo spotted her, he beamed. "Mum!" he said cheerfully. "You'll never guess where Dad took me today!"

Impressed, Hermione asked, "Where?"

"We went to watch the Magpies play! It was _so _awesome! Did you know Grandfather _owns_ a Quidditch team?" he said this all very fast, and very excitedly. "We got to sit in the best box, all by ourselves too. And Dad got me all sorts of candy and snacks!"

Hermione bent over and hugged the boy. "I'm glad you had so much fun. Maybe you can go again, sometime. Rose would like that."

"Oh! And you have to see my new uniform! Nana just got it flown in today from Paris!" he said suddenly, pulling out of her arms and darting back into his bedroom.

When Hermione started to follow, she heard the Draco's deep chuckle. "I regret giving him so much sugar."

Hermione laughed softly, looking up to meet his eyes. "It wouldn't have mattered all that much, he's always like this."

Draco smiled at her, letting his eyes wander over her lovely figure. "You look beautiful."

She blushed slightly, looking away from his intense gaze. "Thank you. I hope it's not too much, I got a little… excited." Her skin seemed to grow even darker at that.

She thought he whispered something like 'perfect,' but she couldn't be sure. She glanced down at her new shoes and tried to find something to say. Her stomach was a bundle of fluttering butterflies; she felt like a fifteen year old on her first date.

Luckily Hugo saved them a moment later, darting back into the hall sporting a set of black and white Quidditch robes, and a solid black broom. "Do you like it?" he asked brightly, turning on the spot to show it off from all sides.

Hermione looked from the robes and back up to Draco, that wasn't any cheap Halloween costume. "How much did that cost?"

Draco shrugged, "Mum bought it." He fingered the material, "It's nice though. Looks like Giselle's work."

Hermione shook her head. "You are spoiling him! Both of you!" she huffed, before turning back to her son. "Go change back, Hugo, or Nana will have our heads."

The boy snickered as he turned to leave.

"Speaking of spoiling people, I bought you something," Draco said suddenly, fishing something out of his pocket. "If I give it to you, will you keep it this time?"

She smiled at him. "Oh, Draco, you shouldn't be spending money on me anyway!"

"Answer the question woman!"

"Oh, all right. I suppose I'll keep it, as long as it isn't something completely horrendous."

He scowled at her for that. "I have great taste!"

"If you say so," she answered with a sly smirk.

He handed her a thin black box. Hermione carefully removed the lid and stared at the beautiful necklace. Made of white gold and shaped into an elongated 's' shape, it held five gemstones. Three were diamonds; the other two were the Rose and Hugo's birthstones, pale blue aquamarine and light purple alexandrite. Hermione felt her eyes prick with tears.

She looked up at him, a watery smile plastered to her face. "Thank you, Draco. Thank you so much for accepting them into the family." She swiped at a tear that tried to make an escape. "I don't deserve this from you."

He snagged her around the waist, pulling her as close as he could. Their eyes locked for a few moments, and he whispered, "We all deserve a chance to be happy, don't we?" And then he kissed her.

An eternity seemed to pass before they heard Hugo gagging. They broke apart quickly, Hermione turning a bright shade of pink at being caught by her son. Draco looked at the boy with an cocked eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

"That's nasty. Go snog Mum somewhere else!" he said, laughter lighting up his eyes.

"Draco!" they heard from down stairs. "Hugo! It's time for dinner!"

They both sighed, before Draco responded, "Coming, Mum!"

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><p><strong>A.N. I had some trouble with my email address, so I haven't properly looked at the reviews from the last chapter, but I don't think anyone's guessed anymore names yet. Oh well, here's another hint.<strong>

**Hint: ****The ugly duckling wasn't really a duck at all. What was it?**

**Come on now, I'm sure you guys can figure this one out.**


	12. Bludgers and Beans Part 2

**A.N. Hello again! I know it's been like a day and a half since I posted the last chapter but I just couldn't resist! So many lovely reviews! Thanks so, so much everyone! Thanks to you guys this is now my most reviewed story, which makes me very happy! Last chapter was the most reviewed, too. Anyways, back to _this _chapter... I know I've fallen out of my pattern, but this is (yet again) set in the grown ups point of view. Thanks to a lovely reviewer I decided to make this chapter devoted to Lucius. I had lots of fun with it. Astoria, at last, makes her appearance as well.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Bludgers and Beans Part 2<strong>

Lucius sat at the long dining table, impatiently awaiting his son and grandson's arrival. As he sat, Narcissa picked up on some of his agitation, what with the dark look that was beginning to cloud his silver eyes and the steady tapping of his fingers. Patience was not a trait that the elder Malfoy had been gifted with, nor did he know great shows of kindness or love. Pride and power, now there were two things he understood. And money. All of this made for the perfect businessman, yes, but it didn't serve to make him a decent father.

For the longest time he treated his wife much as his mother had been treated, as a puppet, a tool to advance standings. That was how he had looked upon his marriage when he entered it. He grew to love his wife, and he took great pleasure in being able to lavish her in gifts, to make her shine for the whole world to see, but he also had found love in the seductive grasp of the dark.

In the process he nearly lost his beloved wife, and tried to destroy his own son. Despite being late for dinner and getting him a bit angry, Draco had grown up to be a fine man; he knew it, but he didn't feel the need to spread it around.

His grandson was another matter. Unlike Scorpius, who preferred his father and grandmother's company, Hugo liked to seek him out. The behavior reminded him eerily of a young Draco, so eager to please him. The boy hadn't given him a chance to make a first impression before introducing himself. He was determined to make him like him.

For whatever reason, Lucius found it amusing, and he had taken it upon himself to be a better role model to his young grandson than he had ever been for Draco.

At last Narcissa returned, Hugo and his parents hot on her heels. Granger, because he couldn't bring himself to call his son's mistress by her married name, looked quite red in the face, as if she had been caught doing something. They seated themselves quickly, Narcissa taking the chair to his right with Hugo at her side. Draco held out the seat that was usually reserved for Scorpius, allowing Granger to sit beside him, before taking his own place at his father's left. The long dining table stretched before him, several empty seats left between them and the far door.

Lucius turned to his makeshift family, wondering how all of this was going to come out and just how the wizarding world would handle such a scandal. He studied the girl closely; she was a decorated war hero, best friend to their savior, she was strong willed and amazingly intelligent. She was also the one that had saved him from an even longer stint in Azkaban.

He had come to respect the girl then, some twelve years before, even with his prejudiced views on blood status. His first imprisonment had only served to only make him exceptionally angry, but he was quickly devastated as his only child, his son, his heir, had been branded for the rest of his life and chained to a suicide mission. All of it was his fault.

But they had survived the bloody war, their family was whole, but scarred. Lucius had gladly taken the charge for his crimes; he didn't fight because he feared that the Wizengamot would strike down harder on his family. Luckily they had escaped with large fines, and in the case of Draco, mandatory community service.

Lucius owed a great deal to the curly haired girl quietly twittering away with his wife as they enjoyed the grilled salmon. And he'd be lying, although he generally wasn't opposed to the idea, if he said that he didn't find her the least bit intriguing.

He finally snapped out of his thoughts when Narcissa tapped him delicately on the shoulder. "Lucius, dear, Hermione asked you a question."

**o.O.o**

Dinner went better than she had expected. By the end of the ordeal, Hermione was still smiling, and she managed not to look extremely embarrassed for the entire evening. Desert wrapped up quickly, and all too soon, Hermione found it time to go home.

Hugo absolutely refused to leave the Manor a day early, and she conceded, hoping that he might get some extra time to spend with his father before he had to leave. Upon calling the meal over, Narcissa had vanished off into the direction of her favorite sitting room where she often enjoyed some light reading in the evenings. Draco was still caught up in a discussion with Lucius about the state of the family business.

Eager to escape _that _conversation, Hermione had pulled Hugo out into the entrance way. Just as the dining room doors closed behind them, the front doors down the hall jumped open.

"Oh no," Hermione whispered, spotting the four witches entering the huge space, house elves trailed behind them with towering piles of boxes and bags.

Pansy was the first to catch sight of her, her pale green eyes flew open in surprise. She spotted Hugo next, before looking back to the woman beside her.

Astoria looked up from her perfect talons, and, after a moment of surprise, she shrieked. "_You?" _she asked scathingly, staring intently at Hermione. Her sky blue eyes flashed as she glanced down to the little boy at her side. "Of all the filth to drag into my home, he chose _you_?"

Hermione ushered Hugo behind her, shoving him back in the direction they had come from. A simple 'go' was all she was able to say before Astoria cut her off.

"No, let the little bastard stay!" she screamed, carefully stepping ever closer. Her heels clicked sharply on the marble floor with every step. "Let him hear about his cheating father and filthy Mudblood whore of a mother! The Golden Princess sleeping with another woman's husband, who would have thought?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, giving her the most piercing glare she could muster. "Now listen here, Greengrass, I WON'T have you speaking like that in front of my child!" She looked quickly down at Hugo, "Go, Hugo," she told him softly. "Go get your grandfather, won't you?"

When the boy had vanished, she turned back at the seething witch. "Say what you will, Astoria. This isn't likely to end well for you."

"Who do you think you are, Mudblood?" she asked, turning up her nose. "You little whore, swooping in and trying to steal my husband!" She took a few more steps, not stopping until they were standing eye to eye. In heels, Astoria stood a god six inches above her, but Hermione refused to back down.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but she was quickly cut off. "Don't you dare say another word to me, you nasty piece of filth. What are you after? My money?" Astoria was starting to go a bit red in the face, concealed by her many glamour charms. "You will never be anything to him ever again! I will not allow it!"

The door behind creaked open, and Astoria promptly fell silent; looking at whomever was behind her. Draco placed a hand on her shoulder, and Hermione stepped out of the way. Lucius was right behind him and Hugo on his heels.

"Astoria," Lucius said simply, before looking to the other women still by the door. Pansy looked a bit bored, and Hermione wondered if she had known this all along; surely Draco had been to see Blaise about the ordeal already. Tracey, as always, was a little left out in the group, she had only moved up in status since marrying into the Mulciber family, and she seemed to be fighting back giggles. Daphne just looked shocked, her eyes continually flickered between Hermione, Draco, Hugo, and her sister.

Astoria shifted herself until her stance was a little less angry; she still stood very stiffly, however. "Master Malfoy," she said in greeting.

Lucius returned her cold look. "Have you been disturbing our guests, Astoria?"

The blond looked to her husband, but Draco, too, only had cold eyes for her. When she glanced back she still seemed to be trying to control her furious anger. "Guests?" she scoffed.

"Yes, Astoria, Miss Granger and Hugo here."

"Surely, Master Malfoy, you have no use for the likes of Mudbloods and half-blood bastards," she said simply, as if the words meant nothing to her, or anyone else in present company. Hermione watched as Draco clenched his jaw, but his expression remained cool as ever.

"Father," Draco warned. Urging his father to get to the point or allow him the honor.

"I would like to say that I regret what has happened this evening, Draco, but I believe we have found the solution to our problem," he said, glancing at his son and back again. "Upon recent discoveries, Astoria, we have decided that we no longer have any use for you here." Astoria tried to stammer out a response, but she was quickly stopped. "I suggest that you say nothing else that might be disrespectful to the Malfoy family, Astoria, and that certainly includes my grandson and his mother, or else suffer the wrath of us all."

Tracey finally lost it then, erupting in laughter. Astoria stared open mouthed, watching as Lucius let the rest of them to the sitting room to inform Narcissa of the news.

**o.O.o**

The Potters' house had been shut down for several hours, and everyone was asleep except for the brown owl that had just returned with his evening meal. Ginny was the first to wake up to the pounding on the door, ears trained to listening for unusual sounds from raising three children. Her brown eyes snapped open at the sound, and upon realizing what it was, she reached over, grabbed her snoring husband, and proceeded to shake him awake.

"Harry!" she whispered furiously. "Wake up!"

His bright green eyes opened slowly. "Ginny?" he asked, stifling a yawn. "What..?" he started, cut off by another round of violent knocks.

"Go! Get the door!" she told him, shoving at him.

Harry finally started moving. He jumped out of bed quickly, shoved his round glasses onto his nose, and snatched up his ever faithful wand. Padding barefoot through the house, Harry moved quietly until he reached the door. Wand at the ready, he pulled back the kitchen door.

"Ron?"

Ron stumbled past him into the house, shouting something that wasn't quite identifiable. Harry shut the door against the cool fall air, and placed his wand into the pocket of his sleeper pants. "What in the hell, Ron?" He glanced at the normal clock hanging on the far wall. It chimed three o'clock. Ron continued his drunken rant. "Shut it, why don't you?" he shouted back, grasping him by the shoulder.

At last he seemed to get the message, and plopped himself into one of the kitchen chairs. Ginny appeared a moment later, looking extraordinarily like an angry veela.

"Ow!" Ron huffed as Ginny slapped the back of his head.

"You moron! What are you doing here at –" she looked at the clock swiftly, "- three o'clock in the bloody morning?" Ginny, in Harry's opinion, was very much like her mother when she wanted to be, hence the reason he tried, as Arthur did with Molly, to stay out of her war path. "And drunk off your arse, too! We were sleeping! _Lily _is sleeping!"

"Gin…" he warned her softly, gesturing to the girl's room above them.

"No, don't worry about that. I silenced her room," she said a bit softer, turning to look at her husband only long enough to get the words out. "Well?" she asked Ron sharply, who had gone quite red.

"Had to tell somebody…" he said quietly.

"Mate," Harry interjected, "why don't you go home? Does Hermione know you've been out drinking?" Things had been rocky between them for ages now, and for one wild moment Harry feared that she might have kicked Ron out.

"Why would she care? She's off with her _boyfriend_," he said angrily, glaring around the room.

_Boyfriend?_ he wondered, sharing a look with his equally puzzled wife. Surely not, not Hermione of all people.

Because his audience seemed to be incapable of wording their thoughts, Ron continued on. "She went to dinner!" he shouted. "She'll probably end up pregnant again…" his voice trailed off and some of the anger seemed to abate, a touch of sadness seeping through.

Ginny was the first to regain the art of speech. "What?" Harry didn't know if he could have put it any better himself. 'What' seemed to satisfy the situation perfectly.

"'Mione will go and pretend nothing ever happened," he said softly, "and she'll come back with another… another little _ferret_. He won't want her. She's mine, now. 'Mione's mine."

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><p><strong>A. no... but they really couldn't keep it a secret much longer. The question is, why haven't the kids told them anything yet? Lol<br>**

**So many guesses last chapter! While almost everyone got the right answer, you were still thinking inside the box! The Ugly Duckling was, of course, a baby swan. I was hoping that someone would give me the name _of_ a baby swan, but, alas, it was not so. So, since this is a part two anyway, our hint will be a part two, too.**

**Hint: This name is very similar to the name of a young swan. It is also a constellation.**

**Good luck!**


	13. Victory is Ours

**A.N. I swear some of my class mates/people I know from back home would probably be very angry with me if they read this. As of this chapter, I've used four names of people I know, but who aren't friends. Lol.**

**Just a filler chapter, but it _is_ Quidditch... This is the chapter I was talking about earlier. This serves almost no purpose, whatsoever, lol.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 – Victory is Ours<strong>

Tension ran high as the first Quidditch match of the season neared; Gryffindor verses Ravenclaw. According to James, Ravenclaw would be their biggest competition for the year, despite the long standing rivalry with Slytherin.

The first years seemed especially excited; many of them hadn't seen all that many Quidditch games. Rose, on the other hand, had grown up watching the Cannons get their arses handed to them. It was amazing that she'd come out a Quidditch fan, having to suffer like that.

From birth they had also been subjected to the countless games on Sunday afternoons, played in the little clearing at the Burrow. The Weasley's matches were very popular, and with the set of balls her Uncle Harry had bought for them, they could have real games. They were getting old though, Ron had gotten a bit fat over the years, no doubt the result of his near constant eating, Harry's eyesight had only gotten worse, and Fred only had partial use of his left arm.

Now the second generation was the light of the entertainment. They all had their favorite positions, she wanted to be a chaser, like James, the twins, and Dom. Fred was a beater, of course, and Al was to be a seeker. Victoire and Molly wanted nothing to do with Quidditch, except when they went out to date the players.

Rose bounced up the stairs from the dungeons, Scorpius dragging his feet behind her. "_Rose!_" he hissed. "Slow down, why don't you?"

"Oh, Scorpi, stop your whining. Honestly, aren't you excited for the match?" she asked, grinning at him.

He shot her a glare. "Certainly. We get to sit with your bloody cousins in the Gryffindor box, cheering on the lot of them. And you just had to drag me into it, didn't you?"

"You've been getting on quite well with _the lot of them,_ and you know it!" she scoffed. "Besides, there are better seats on the Gryffindor side. I'm sure you'll survive one match."

Scorpius continued to grumble behind her as they made their way to the Great Hall. They'd gotten up earlier than they needed too in order to catch the teams before the game. The Gryffindor team was boisterous this morning, the seven of them shouting and laughing. Clad in royal blue and bronze, the Ravenclaw team was looking smug. They seemed to think they were going to be the winners.

Molly sat at with them, eyeing her boyfriend warily. The Keeper and the captain, Dustin Davies, had a peculiar look about his face, and he was staring daggers at Thomas. She tossed back her chestnut tresses and snagged the flared sleeve of his robes. From their spot, Rose couldn't make out what she said, but the boy dropped his gaze, and smiled at her.

Suddenly the opposing team stood, shouldered their brooms, and hurried to the exit, the Gryffindors copied the action, and followed suit. As they approached the doors, eager fans at their heels, Molly turned with a smile to her cousins. "Good luck guys!" Davies shot her a look that plainly said they were going to need more than luck.

**o.O.o**

James slouched on the bench, pulling at the straps on his boots. Fred sat beside him, leaning against the wall, only half paying attention to the lovely speech their captain was shouting at them. Brock wasn't a long-winded speaker, but he sure was loud.

"Everybody got that?" he asked, glaring at Fred. The other boy jerked suddenly, and blinked at the captain.

He pulled himself to his feet, and nodded. "Got it, Thomas. Now can we get out there and clobber those pigeons?"

James laughed, as well as the rest of the team, and hurried to his feet. Each member had their brooms slung over their shoulders, and in the case of Fred and Brock, had their bats clutched in one hand. At five till eleven, they filed out of the locker room and met in the center of the pitch.

The Ravenclaw teamed approached them from the opposite room, each still wearing smug looks. Madam Hooch stood off to one end of them, the ball crate at her feet. "Captains, shake hands!" she called, and the two seventh years moved towards the center of the pitch. They shook quickly, determined looks mirrored on their faces. They nodded at each other and separated.

With the fourteen of them standing in the circle, they mounted their brooms and looked to the referee. Madam Hooch bent, released the two Bludgers, which sped out of sight, and then she pulled out the tiny golden snitch. It too vanished as soon as she released her hold on it. She removed the Quaffle, placing it under her arm, banished the crate to the edge of the pitch, and mounted her own broom.

With a sharp blow of her whistle, they launched into the air, the six chasers diving for the red ball that barreled through the air. Heading straight for the ground. The keepers hurried towards their goals, the seekers high above the action, and the beaters somewhere between, watching for the Bludgers.

A Ravenclaw came out of the fray, clutching the ball. She spiraled out of the mess, and took off towards the goals. They followed her, whipping around one another, careful not to get hit. A Bludger caught them off guard, knocking into another of the Ravenclaws, just as the Quaffle was being passed. James dived, snatching the ball out of the air, and spun in the opposite direction.

He passed in a blur, but James caught Fred's small victory shout as another Bludger met its target. As he approached the goals, Davies found a solid position between the three of them and watched him closely.

From his left, someone collided with his broom, spinning him off target. The Ravenclaw snatched at the Quaffle, but missed, a Bludger shot passed his ear, and with a bit of feinting, James tossed the hunk of leather through the left hoop.

Ten points to Gryffindor.

**o.O.o**

Rose jumped to her feet when James scored the first points of the match. She shouted and clapped. Al sat beside her, watching the game intently, searching the field for the tiny golden snitch; Scorpius just looked bored.

"Look at Davies! He looks like he sat on a prickle pine!" she laughed, pointing to the angry captain. His face was beet red, and he was shouting something nastily in James's direction.

After he said his piece, he dived down to retrieve the Quaffle. He tossed it back in to one of his chasers and the game resumed.

Half an hour in, Gryffindor had made three more goals, Ravenclaw one, and still no one had seen the snitch. They watched as one of the Ravenclaw chasers, a burly sixth year who would have been better built for a beater, placed a nice hard kick on tiny little Ann Marie Jackson. The Gryffindor girl dropped the Quaffle, and spun out of control.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle just as she landed on the hard ground some twenty feet below. "Penalty shot for Gryffindor!" she shouted, eyeing the Ravenclaw boy with her strange cat eyes.

He shouted something in her direction before tossing the Quaffle angrily into thin air.

Ten minutes passed before the girl was back in the air, glaring at Davies, daring him to stop her goal. She darted back and forth for a moment before taking aim. The Quaffle soared through his hands, just over his head, and slid through the giant hoop.

Fifty points to Gryffindor.

**o.O.o**

As time drug on the game got nastier and nastier. Normally that behavior was reserved for the Slytherin team, but the Ravenclaws were desperate to stay on top for once. They weren't known for being forward about it, and they managed to use their superior intellect to get away with many of their fouls, but even that couldn't help them get past the Gryffindor keeper.

As the opposing team racked up more and more points, Davies seemed to be growing redder. High above the growing tension, the two seekers circled the field. They constantly hand one eye trained to the field, and the other glue to their competition.

At last a tiny dart of gold slipped past the Ravenclaw seeker, Damon. He dived after it with Todd Belcher, the Gryffindor seeker, right on his heel. They spun and knocked into each other, anything to knock the other off course.

The snitch stayed several feet in front of them, diving among the angry chaser, swerving past a roaming Bludger, down and around the Gryffindor goal posts. The two seekers followed it diligently, slowing gaining on the tiny sphere. With a few shouting fans, everyone began to notice the tormented dance.

Suddenly the snitch zoomed up into the stands, flitting by fans. They jumped out of the way as the two boys pelted after the ball, not paying enough attention to stop from hitting anyone.

Damon's foot connected with one such fan, a giant of a Gryffindor standing a bit to close, or so he said. The Ravenclaw seeker slipped off of his broom and landed there, among the fans, loosing precious seconds to his competitor.

Todd kept up with the ball as it spiraled around one of the red and gold boxes. Although it the spell that made the snitch avoid capture normally kept it from the fans, this snitch dived into the opening, darting between them like a terrified hummingbird.

**o.O.o**

Both Scorpius and Al had their eyes trained to the snitch; they watched as it climbed up to meet them, the Gryffindor seeker speeding behind it. They, like many of the other fans, were leaning over the edge of their box, and jumped back when it zoomed right between them.

The seeker seemed to be confused, floating outside of their box, while the Ravenclaw seeker came to join him a few moments later. They looked at each other, but neither seemed willing to edge their brooms in the space that was mostly full of first years.

The snitch seemed to be content in the box, flitting among their heads. It circled once, twice, three times before coming close to the edge once more, but still it stayed just out of reach. Each time one of the seekers came close to touching it, it would disappear into the stands.

Growing annoyed by all the attention that the rest of the stands seemed to be giving them, what with the commentator spewing on and on about them, Scorpius waited for the right moment, and with a quick burst, snatched the glittering object out of the air.

Realizing that it had been caught, the snitch settled down instantly; its long silver wings fluttered gently against his hand and the gold felt warm in his hand.

All around the excited chatter died. The other players hung in the air, confused. No one could tell what had happened just yet, and those that could didn't know what that meant. The snitch could only be caught once per game, they knew that, and it was a serious foul if any other player caught the snitch before the seeker, but no one knew what to do if a fan got it first.

Madam Hooch's whistle blasted through the silent air. The seekers turned away from him, and went to land among the other player on the field below. All of the fans turned to watch her below, hoping for some kind of information; however the elderly woman seemed just as confused as all of the rest of them.

She stood among the players, who seemed to be growing angrier by the moment, before raising her wand into the air and producing a great silvery hawk. The hawk skimmed the air around her, and it appeared to be listening to whatever it was that she was saying. When she was done, she lowered her wand and returned to the angry teams, while the great bird took off in the direction of the castle and finally left their sight.

**o.O.o**

Professor McGonagall reached the pitch a bit later, looking decidedly ruffled. She stalked onto the pitch and was instantly swarmed by the mob of angry teenagers.

"Professor!" one shouted, the Ravenclaw captain, Davies. "She wants to let the Gryffindors win!" he shouted angrily. This boy was a bit louder than his father had ever been.

"We have more points!" one of the Gryffindors shouted back. It looked as though a fight was about to begin.

She slipped among the hoard, ignoring them for the moment. "Rolanda, what is the meaning of this?"

Madam Hooch joined her on the side, "There isn't a rule about this! The snitch isn't supposed to enter the stands!"

Shooting a look to the closest of the Gryffindor stands, where she could just make out the shining hair of the Malfoys, she asked, "What is the score?"

"Sixty, ten to Gryffindor, just before that boy caught the snitch."

She paused to think about the situation, before continuing. "And you think that Gryffindor should win? No rematch?"

"The game ended, and Gryffindor had more points."

McGonagall nodded her agreement, much to the disgust of the Ravenclaws. "So be it,"  
>she said. She performed a simple enhancing charm and shout to the crowd, "Gryffindor wins!"<p>

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><p><strong>A.N. #1 Dun dun dun! :)<br>**

**A.N. #2 At last! Yay! So, of course, the name was Cygnus. He is named after his great-grandfather, as one reviewer pointed out. Cygnus is the twin of Orion, who was guessed a few chapters back. :)**

**Hint: (You'll probably need the hint from a few chapters back, about the Roman emperor.) Cygnus's full name translates into 'the dark swan' or something close to it. (It's actually a play on the ugly duckling, lol. Not that he's ugly.)** **Any ideas?**

**I don't expect anyone to get this... It would be a nice surprise if someone did.**


	14. Suspicion

**A.N. Hi all. Goodness it feels like forever ago that I last updated.. Sorry about that. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and that we all have a great new year ahead of us. (New Year's Eve is going to be a blast, no?)**

**This chappy makes me sad. I'm either pacing this story really badly or I've just crammed in a ton of extra goodness, you can decide. I had hoped to get this up at the beginning of November. I had jokingly decided to had to release it on the 7th of November, actually, which would have been the day Addie was born (11/7/11), since she makes an appearance in this part.**

**I'm rambling now, so on to the story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13 – Suspicion<strong>

Ron slowly began to wake, perched on something decidedly bumpy and very uncomfortable. The sunlight was bright behind his eyelids, and, when he finally managed to crack one eye open, he came face to face with his frazzled sister. Ginny stood over him menacingly, glaring at him.

Giving a pitiful moan, he quickly snapped his eye closed once more, and tried to roll away from her.

"Harry!" she called, almost in a shriek. "He's up, Harry!"

A few moments later a thunderous stampede of footsteps announced Harry's arrival. Still feigning sleep, Ron kept his face buried in the cushions of what happened to be Ginny's awful maroon couch.

Harry grasped him roughly by the shoulder, jerking him over onto his back, "Get up, will you?" Harry, too, sounded a bit frantic.

Confused and a tad concerned, Roll peered up at his friend. A quick once-over made it clear that he really did need to get his arse up. A sense of dread was beginning to fill him, and for a moment he tried to recall things from the night before.

Hurt, once more, by Hermione's undying affection for the ferret, he'd decided that he should spend one night in a fit of both rage and self-pity, something he hadn't done in many, many years, by drinking himself into a stupor. Ron recalled the dirty pub he'd been at, some Muggle place near their house, and getting up to leave, how he managed to get here of all places was unknown, and he hadn't a clue about what had possessed him to think it was a good idea.

When he thought the silence was growing tiresome, he asked, "How'd I get here?"

Like a match to gasoline, Ginny's fuse was lit. "You stumbled in here, screaming like a lunatic at three in the morning!" she screamed, not sounding entirely sane herself.

He looked back to Harry, although his best mate seemed only slightly more in control. "Well?" he asked. "Is it true?"

That dread that had started coating his insides started to boil and churn as the previous night's events tumbled back into his memory. He had told them, Harry and Ginny, of all the people to tell in a drunken rampage.

Harry didn't seem to believe the news though, not until it was confirmed, and Ginny was in a state of shock. With a gulp, Ron cast his eyes away; all the proof they needed.

"No!" Harry said angrily. "Not Hermione, Ron, there's got to be some mistake!"

"Of course! Not _Hermione!_" Ron growled. "Hermione's perfect isn't she?"

They opened their mouths to say something, but he didn't give them the chance to speak. "Hermione would never run around with the likes of Malfoy, would she? No, not perfect little Hermione. She wouldn't lie to everyone, especially not her best friend, no!"

Ron made a funny noise, something that was probably a loud sniff. He could feel his face flushing in anger, felt his fists ball up, but he could also feel the start of long held back tears.

**o.O.o**

Today was a very special day for little Addie Longbottom. Today she was a ballerina, yesterday she had been a princess, and, more importantly, today her daddy was coming home.

Her daddy was a teacher at Hogwarts, the big castle, far, far away. During the school year he only got to come home some weekends, like today, and she was very excited.

She woke up extra early this morning, right when the sun was just starting to shine. Her mummy was still asleep, so she decided to dress herself. She even remembered to put her shoes on the right feet, and she climbed up onto her dresser and found her pink tutu from last Halloween. When her mummy woke up she made her blueberry waffles with lots of syrup and plaited her blond hair.

Now she was seated in the bay window overlooking the front drive. Her daddy always came home just after dark, after buying her candy at Honeydukes.

"Addie, sweetie, it's only one o'clock. Daddy won't be back for several more hours," her mummy said, but she still sat. And finally, after many long hours, and a few breaks from sitting, her daddy appeared, a brown paper bag clutched in one hand, and the other bound in white bandages.

Standing up quickly, she squealed, "Daddy!" He smiled at her and waved with the bandaged hand. A moment later he pulled open the front door and let himself in. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Hello, Miss Addie. Did you miss me?"

"Of course, Daddy!"

He laughed at her and picked her up. "I missed you too, pumpkin."

At that moment her mummy walked in, smiling. "Mummy! Daddy's home!" Addie said brightly.

"I see that," she said, still grinning. "May I steal him for a little while?"

Addie giggled. "I guess." Then she turned to him and asked, "Can I have my candy now?"

"After dinner, Addie," her daddy said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and placing her on the ground.

She sighed, but bounced off to her nursery anyway.

**o.O.o**

As the tiny girl bounced off into the other room, Neville turned to his wife, sweeping her into his arms and pulling her close. Although his job at Hogwarts kept him far away most of the time, this was where he kept his heart. Hannah kissed him much the way she had for the last seven years they had been together before cocking her head and smiling sweetly at him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, slipping a hand between them to skim his fingers over her still flat stomach.

Her smile widened. "Wonderful," she said followed by a happy sigh. "How about you? What did you do to your hand?"

With a chuckle he told her about the snarling Tantactula that had tried to bite his hand off that morning. "It's nothing, Hannah. Really."

She didn't seem to believe him, and quickly escaped his grasp to fetch her box of healing potions and bandages. As she poked and prodded at the throbbing purple teeth marks, she started in on his long absence.

"So, how has the year been so far?" she asked, uncorking something frothy.

"Alright, I suppose. Nothing special," he said, wondering how to approach the subject he wanted to discuss. "Seven of the sixth years decided to take Herbology this term."

She tutted at him, cast one last charm to knit his flesh back together, and caught his eye. "How about Rose and Al? You have them, of course."

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "They're better now…" he started. "It's strange that Rose is in Slytherin, don't you think?"

Hannah moved to put her things away, and shook her head. "Not really, no. I always thought she'd make Ravenclaw, but I can see where that old hat was coming from." She laughed softly, eyes misting over as she reflected on something from the past; perhaps her own sorting.

"Oh, well, yeah. I don't guess you've seen Ron or Hermione, lately have you?"

Snapping out of her memories she answered, "No, not at all. Hermione wrote the other day, though. She sent an owl asking if we were planning to go to the twins' party, I said yes, of course, but I did wonder why she bothered. As if I'd still be bothered by some teenage fling! Honestly."

"She didn't mention the accident then?"

"Accident?" she asked quickly. "What happened? No one has been to St. Mungo's in months, I'd know!"

"Rose apparently tried to do some glamour work on herself. You should see her, Hannah, she looks like Malfoy! Rose and Scorpius could be twins."

"Odd. Why don't they just remove the charms? Glamours like that aren't all that advanced, I find it hard to believe someone as smart as Rose couldn't take them off."

**o.O.o**

"Wait! Draco that's a family heirloom!" his mother huffed at him, riffling through the growing pile of junk he'd pitched in the floor, if you could really call Astoria's never ending pile of gaudy jewelry junk. She picked up a delicate chain out of the tangled mess and tucked it into a pocket. "Really, son, what _are _you looking for?"

She'd asked the same question fifty times already, and, once more, Draco chose to ignore her. At last he shouted triumphantly, snatched the object off the table, and shoved it into his pocket. Draco turned to his mother and said cheerfully, "Now to clean out this mess!" He then called for Binky.

The elf appeared in a snap. "Yes, Master Draco?"

"Binky, I want Astoria's things packed. Remove anything that doesn't belong to her and return it to my mother."

"Yes, sir," Binky said with a sharp nod. "Will you need anything else, Master?"

Draco turned to his mother, "Where shall I send her things, Mother? To her parents?"

Narcissa smiled, "That sounds lovely, dear. I assume she hasn't told them of the new arrangements yet?"

He shook his head. "No, she is staying with Daphne for now. I'm afraid she was under the impression that she'd be coming back after Hugo left."

"It will be nice to be rid of her," she said with a small laugh. "Now get on with Binky's order so he can get to work!" Narcissa patted his arm lightly and exited the room, humming a soft tune under her breath.

Turning back to the small elf, Draco continued. "When you finish, make sure everything arrives on Master Greengrass's front lawn, won't you?"

Binky nodded, and with a snap, three more elves appeared to help, and the four of them went to work.

**o.O.o**

Blaise was seated in his office, scanning over some paperwork when he heard the distinctly familiar sound of breaking pottery. Very expensive pottery, no doubt, because if Pansy was in a nasty mood she would grab the most expensive object in her reach, of which they had a fair few, and she would chuck it at the closest living object. Following the shatter, she began to shriek at one of the portraits in the entrance hall, no doubt angry for having something thrown at it.

He set the papers to the side, slid out from behind his desk, and went in the direction of the noise. He patted the pocket of his robes to make sure his wand with him. Damage control was both tricky and dangerous.

"Pans!" he shouted ahead of himself, but she didn't respond. Blaise spotted her a moment later, wand pointed angrily at the portrait in question, his great-grandmother this time.

"Blaise!" the elderly woman shouted. "Take care of your hag of a wife this instant!

"_Silencio!_" Pansy shouted back, rendering the portrait angry and speechless.

Eyeing his wife cautiously, Blaise approached her. "What's up, Pansy?" he asked casually, hoping to lighten her up.

"You dragged me into this mess!" she shouted, turning on him. So much for lightening the mood. "Why? Why did you have to tell me?"

Guessing the source of her fury, he asked, "What is Astoria on about now?"

"He was shacking up with Granger, Blaise. He shagged and procreated with know-it-all _Granger._"

"You already know all of this. If I recall you invaded Malfoy Manor and threatened to sever some of his private bits if he didn't tell you the entire story," he said with a laugh. "Did you tell her about the other one? Rose?"

"_No!_ Why would I do that? Daphne's already talked her into telling the papers! It'll be all over Britain come Monday!"

Blaise winced and made a mental note to warn his friend. "It was going to come out soon enough, anyway."

Pansy shook her head and stomped off, leaving him to clean up her mess. A few quick spells righted the damage, and after only a minute or two, he was off to pen a letter to the Malfoy's about the coming announcement.

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><p><strong>A.N. Well? How was it? I'd love to get some nice reviews, or even flames. I kinda miss the flames in some twisted way. Lol.<strong>

**Because it is nearly three thirty in the morning, and my brain is a bit frazzled, I won't be giving out any hints. Sorry about that. I will, however, make it clear, that the baby I implied in this chapter is not one of the four I had planned. This is a unnamed baby of an undecided gender that will need to be written into the epilogue. (YAY!)**

**Any ideas for baby names? Or the gender? I'll let some lovely reviewer go at it, and, if by some chance, I get two or more names I like, we might just have to vote!**


	15. Owl Post Once More

**A.N. Sorry it took so long guys. Don't expect many more updates for awhile. I'm working on a joint fan project with my friend CheshireGrinn. It's a Power Rangers 2nd generation series, if you're interested, and you can find all related works in my C2. Sorry that you guys have to keep waiting. This _will_ get done eventually. I swear.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 – Owl Post Once More<strong>

Being quiet and normal, old news, was highly overrated in Rose's opinion. Although she hadn't approved of the stares and the constant whispers, she had felt a little bit important for a while. Instead she had been forced out of the limelight by the two closest people to her. Since she had made them shed their resentful barriers, Albus and Scorpius had hit it off; they were now the best set of friends of their year. In her opinion, their friendship closely resembled that of James and Fred, quite a feat.

Their close bond was a freak show of sorts, being that they were from two rival houses and the notorious feud between their fathers. Had she been outside of the group, she too might have been impressed, but, as she was not, it became a constant wedge in their group.

Furthermore, Scorpius's unsightly capture of the elusive snitch left him a champion of sorts for all of Gryffindor house, an anomaly to most of the school, and a strange beast among the house of the snakes. All of which making him far for interesting than the copycat Weasley girl that followed his footsteps.

As these thoughts pulsed in a tiresome circle through her mind, Rose stabbed at a pancake with an odd pattern on its front. It looked as if it too was unhappy.

"Issues?" her brother asked, eying her with one eyebrow raised.

She sneered at him, muttering under her breath, "I really don't like you."

"What was that?" he asked, his gaze darkening.

Before she had the chance to make another remark, however, the noise of hundreds of owls descended over the entire hall. The owls came in a multitude of colors, everything from white to black. The birds soared over the table, finding their owners, before landing among the food. While the owls at breakfast were nothing new, they were quite taken aback when four of them landed in front of the identical pair.

Rose recognized the silver one that brought treats and letters from their grandmother. "Selene," she whispered, reaching out to stroke the bird.

Scorpius wasn't paying either of them any attention, he was much too caught up with the black one that appeared ruffled and angry. As she watched, he reached out to take its letter only to be screeched at. "Oh, shut up you," he said with a glare. "I wonder what my mother could possibly want."

"Your mother?" Rose asked, examining the hateful creature.

Scorpius merely nodded as he grabbed the owl by her leg and pulled off the perfect white envelope. He ended up with a nasty scratch from one talon and a painful looking cut where she had snapped at him with her sharp little beak. He wrapped up the cut to stop the bleeding and then waved her off with his other hand. "Ow."

"Who are the others from then?" Rose asked him, already having removed the letter from Narcissa.

Jabbing at the eagle owl that seemed to be content sitting silently by his plate, Scorpius said, "That's Caine, Dad's owl, and _that_ one," he continued, pointing to an ordinary barn owl, "is from the Prophet."

He made short work of getting rid of the other two, paying one with a few Knuts and the other with a strip of bacon off of his plate. Scorpius slowly peeled off the napkin from around his finger and set it aside before turning on the pile of correspondence. He ignored the paper for now, eagerly snatching at the letter from their father, and Rose felt her mood grow steadily sourer.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the room, falling on the circle of Weasleys on the opposite side of the room. It seemed that they too were being swarmed with owls. Strange, she thought, that there would be so much to tell on one day. Angry that she didn't receive anything, Rose turned her silver stare upwards once more, at last spotting the chocolate owl, the last of the hundreds, still flitting overhead.

This was their family owl, one she knew well, but who obviously didn't recognize her. Reaching up, Rose tried to get the bird's attention. After a few more moments the owl spotted her and landed easily beside a large bowl of porridge. She still seemed a little wary, although her superior instincts noted that Rose was the person she was searching for.

Rose took the envelope, a slight bit of excitement and dread settling in the pit of her stomach. The owl took off not a moment later, just as, Rose noted out of the corner of her eye, Scorpius dropped his first letter and reached for another one. A grim look was etched in his eyes, even though the rest of his face showed nothing of his emotions.

Ignoring this for the moment, she ripped into her own letter, written in neat tiny script, her mother's hand writing.

_Rose,_

_I except you will be receiving news from the rest of the family very shortly, but our secrets are not such secrets anymore. Scorpius's mother went to the Daily Prophet about Draco and me. She does not yet know the truth about you, of course, but she met Hugo the other night._

_Do not be alarmed, we are handling the mess she has caused. Please make sure you don't respond to any letters you get from strangers, I imagine that reporters will be swarming all of you soon. Ron has also gone to Harry and Ginny, so Al will be getting a few letters as well._

_Grandma and Grandpa Weasley are skeptical at the moment, but I am meeting them tonight. I do hope they won't be angry with the two of you._

_I really wish you would write back, Rose. Hugo would love to hear from you too. Give my hellos to Scorpius and your cousins._

_Love Mum_

**o.O.o**

"Rose!" Albus panted, streaking down the aisle. A letter was clutched firmly in one hand, flapping dangerously as he ran.

All eyes snapped up, watching the deranged boy. Had the situation been any less tense, she might have laughed.

Rose snatched the letter out of her cousin's hand as he bent over trying to catch his breath. She skimmed the content, having to reread parts that were hurriedly scrawled in angry strokes. Al's bright green eyes caught hers and they shared a moment, before she looked back to the others. Victoire and Dominique were bent over another note, James snatched the one that Fred was scanning, and if Molly's hurried stride to the Gryffindor table meant anything, she probably had one too. "This is bad," Al finally breathed.

"Very bad," Scorpius agreed, but sitting in the middle, Rose was still silent. _Bad _just wasn't going to cut it.

"I'm dead. No! No, we are _all_ dead," she finally declared.

**o.O.o**

"What do you mean? You knew this already!" Molly screeched at the pair of them. James and Fred had the decency to look ashamed, but only just.

"Well…" Fred started only to be cut off.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Victoire joined in, eyes flashing madly.

"Al told us!" James chimed in. "Rose didn't want anyone to know."

Fred nodded. "We couldn't just go around telling other people's secrets, could we?"

The two girls made exasperated noises. "We had a right to know!"

"You'd think a Ravenclaw like yourself could figure it out, wouldn't you, Molly?" Dom added. "I don't know why it's such a huge surprise… Haven't you seen the pair of them?" She gestured to the table across the room. "They're joined at the hip!"

Jumping back to her feet, Molly threw up her hands. "You lot are completely useless! I'm going to go back to _my _table."

**o.O.o**

If the day hadn't started off bad enough, things just kept getting worse and worse. Straight after breakfast the trio headed down to Potions, one of the few classes they had together. Potions itself wasn't all that bad. Their teacher was fairly young and mildly pleasant, which was downright _nice_ for your average Slytherin, but the potion they had to brew was difficult at best, and when the entire class was sneaking looks at you, it became absolutely dreadful.

When that finally came to an end, Rose got called back. She waved the boys off, Al's next class was up on the fifth floor, and the Slytherins had Herbology. Ten minutes later, she hurried off down the corridor, a scowl etched across her face. She didn't much care that her potion had been pink instead of orange, at least not today of all days. _But having family problems isn't any excuse for having a sub-par potion. _Bleck.

She nearly jogged to Herbology, hoping she wouldn't be late. Rose was so caught up in her journey that she didn't even realize that Natasha and her little gang had hung back and were leaning against one of the stone walls waiting on her, but she did manage to hear the shout of "_Proteg_o" from behind her.

"AHHH!" Natasha screamed a moment later, followed by a stream of laughter.

Luckily for her, Rose had just crossed paths with the third years heading to Care of Magical Creatures, James and Fred among them. One of them had cast the shield charm just in time for Natasha's curse to bounce off and strike her back in the face.

The Gryffindors' were still cackling loudly, many of them doubled over, by the time she could appreciate the effect of the curse. Growing ever larger on Natasha's face and hands, bright blue boils dotted her skin. Even her uniform seemed to be bulging in places with hidden boils. The girl screamed again as one of the boils grew to the size of an egg before spraying the grass with acid green ooze that burst from it.

As Rose started to laugh too, Natasha made to cover her face, and ran back towards the castle, her friends close on her heels. Two more of the boils burst before she even made it to the doors.

"Nice, James!" she shouted across the lawn, still grinning brightly.

Her cousins grinned back, and waved, before hurrying down the hill. From the castle the bell rang out, but Rose couldn't bring herself to care much about that either at the moment.


	16. Of Presents and Pictures

**A.N. Hello. My god its been awhile hasn't it? To be honest, life as changed a lot for me in a short space of time, but I finally feel confident in getting back out here and tying up loose ends. I can't promise that this part flows smoothly with the last one, as its been so long. Any issues that need addressing I can fix though, if they get pointed out.**

**I worked my tail off today to get this, and several other things, fixed up for this evening, so I hope you all enjoy it greatly. No promises on the next chappie, my writing schedule is far too unpredictable for that. Hopefully it won't take near this long however.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

**Of Presents and Pictures**

The news was everywhere. The Daily Prophet was having a field day, and had devoted four entire pages to the story, featuring pictures dating back twenty years or so. Witch Weekly made sure to add its own commentary, as well as countless other papers from Scotland to Italy. One of the articles even had a grainy memory picture of Hugo in the hall, colored to show off his light hair and silver eyes.

Astoria had shown back up only two days after her departure, only to be forcefully removed by the wards that no longer recognized her. Angry letters were pouring in from everywhere, and more people he didn't know were asking more questions than people he actually knew. And on top of all of that, Hermione had shown up at noon that day, bawling her eyes out, and was now tucked away in the sitting room with his mother.

Draco levitated another stack of letters into the fireplace, watching them curl and burn for a few moments, only to be disturbed by the sudden creak of his office door.

Hugo crept into the room, until he noticed his father's eyes on him and straightened up.

"Yes?"

"Nana won't let me in the sitting room," he said quickly, stepping closer and pulling himself up a chair. Draco gave him a tired smirk, waiting for more of an explanation. "See, Lorie and Ly's birthday party is today, and Mum was supposed to take me, but she won't come out."

"Hmm. Where is this party?"

"Their house," Hugo answered, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. He supposed it probably was.

Draco closed his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose, before continuing. "Forgive me, but I don't know where 'their house' is."

The boy shrugged. "It's an odd place, out in the woods. Aunt Luna has all these weird plants and stuff."

Finally, he thought, something he could work with. "You want to go over to Loony Lovegood's place?" he asked, a bit disgruntled.

Hugo wrinkled his nose in disgust. "That's not very nice."

He waved that off, "Sorry, yes, yes, I know. The Scamanders live somewhere near the Weasleys'… er… your grandparents', right?"

"Kinda, yeah," the boy agreed. "So can I go?"

He sighed, slipping out of his chair and stepping to the fire place. Someone really should invent an easier way to call people over the floo. It was absolutely revolting to have to kneel on the floor with your head stuck through a fire just to have a conversation.

With a pinch of the greenish powder out of the box on the mantle, Draco lowered himself to the floor and called out, "Rookery Nook!"

He stuck his head into the emerald flames, and after a moment of being able to see nothing but blinding green light, a room came into focus, Lovegood's sitting room he assumed. And it was also completely empty.

Draco waited a breath of time to see if anyone would come, and when they didn't, began to shout. "Hello? Blast. ROLF?!"

A loud scuffle, and the snap of a door from somewhere deeper in the house later, a pair of scrappy boys came into the room. "Who are you?" one asked while his brother shouted for their mother.

"MUM!"

The woman in question came into the room, wearing her favorite pair of radish earrings of course. "What is it? Draco!" she exclaimed upon noticing his head in the flames. It always confused him when she called him by his first name. "Do you need something? Perhaps an etlenhap? They're very good about keeping strangers away you know. They only-"

"Er, no thank you," he said quickly, cutting her off sharply. "I'm calling about Hugo. Says he's supposed to be over at your place…?"

She nodded, "Yes. The party starts in another hour, are you planning on attending?"

"Me? Of cour- Uh, no. Just Hugo. Hermione is upset today."

Luna continued on unfazed. "I can imagine. Molly was dreadful to her this morning, I heard. Send Hugo over whenever, I have to go finish the decorating. I do hope the two of you sort this out for the better, Draco," she said before disappearing back the way she came.

Draco blinked at the sandy haired boys that were now staring at him, and then made his own hasty exit. He pulled out of the fire place and dusted off his shirt while he waited for the flames to turn back to their normal shade of orange before speaking.

"Well?" Hugo asked impatiently. "Can I go?"

"I suppose. The party doesn't start for another hour, you know."

Hugo shrugged, stepping up to the fire place and waiting for his father's assistance. "So? We'll have more time to play."

"Are you going to take a broom?" he asked, unsure what the children of someone like Luna Lovegood might find entertaining.

Hugo turned up his nose. "No," he answered, as if brooms were the abomination of the world. "Are you going to help me with the floo? Please," he added hastily.

"I suppose," he agreed, pulling the box off the mantle and offering to the boy. "You weren't supposed to bring a present, were you?"

Again the boy shrugged. "Bye," he said with a short wave before tossing the powder and disappearing with a whoosh.

Should he have went with him? Draco wondered later as he returned to his desk. He'd listened carefully at least. Surely Hugo had ended up at the right place. Tossing that idea aside, Draco promptly left his office on pursuit of a better distraction.

He was tired of being ignored, so Draco stormed into his mother's sitting room, prepared to shake Hermione until she stopped crying and wanted to distract him., only to be caught off guard. Both of the women were laughing heartily, pouring over photos. Hermione kept gasping out words between her laughter, obviously trying to finish some story.

Draco stood in the doorway for another second, trying to create a new plan, when his mother glanced up and waved him over, "Draco, dear, you have to see this."

Hermione glanced up then, and gave him the faintest of smiles. "Hugo's first birthday," she said matter-of-factly, holding up an image of the silver haired toddler repeatedly smashing a fistful of icing into his face. Though silent, the little boy giggled at his own accomplishment before the scene repeated, making his father crack up too.

"This is what you've been doing? Telling my mother fantastic stories while I've been _working._ How fair is that?" he asked, pouting.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but she was quickly cut off my Narcissa. "Don't you dare. You've been pacing your office. That's hardly considered work, dear."

"Oh, by the way, I sent Hugo off to Loo - Lovegood's. Something about a birthday party," he added, moving to sit next to Hermione, nose wrinkled in disgust.

She nodded, "That's fine. I'd nearly forgotten. Luna's boys are like family, Hugo's quite close with them. And Lily, of course," she explained, reaching into the box of photos and pulling out another one. "Harry's little girl."

He pulled another face at the very thought of having to spend any extra time with Potter than he did already. "We'll have to make sure to invite them to the ball, then. Won't we Draco?"

"Ball?" Hermione asked before he could interject, she felt sure she had managed to worm her way out of that already. "We're still doing the ball?"

Narcissa's first response was to glare at him, as if it was his fault they hadn't managed to discuss the ends and outs of their high society priorities. "Of course, especially after this awful gossip," she said to Hermione, waving in the direction of the newspaper article in question. "We'll need to properly introduce Rose and Hugo to our group of friends, and the wizarding world as a whole. Usually we don't have many children present at these sort of events, but then this is quite a unusual situation."

Hermione nodded, but she didn't look very sure. "I'm not sure Rose will appreciate the attention," she said quietly, glancing between the two Malfoys. "She's not always the friendliest."

Draco felt that last jab was supposed to be at him, but he shrugged it off. "Come on, let's leave my mother at it. We should go out for dinner this evening."

While his mother sat back, disguising her smirk behind a well placed sip of tea, Hermione gave him a perplexing look. "After the scandal we've caused? It's all over the papers, Draco. We can't just simply go to Diagon Alley."

"Who said anything about Diagon Alley?" he asked, jumping back to his feet, and whisking her up after him, whether she had consented yet or not.

"Where then?" she pressed, going rigid in an effort to slow him up. "Hogsmeade? That's hardly any better."

"You'll see," he answered cryptically, although the idea of Hogsmeade would have been tempting on another day. He was missing Scorpius a great deal, and still had not gotten a good look at Rose. "Goodbye, Mother. Don't expect us back before nightfall."

"Goodbye, dear. Hermione," she returned, a smile clear in her voice.

With a small angry sound, Hermione gave in, curious despite herself. "Do tell Lucius I said goodbye as well," she added before following Draco out of the room.

**o.O.o**

Hermione was exceptionally curious about Draco's plans, especially once he pulled her into another room and promptly blindfolded her.

"What are you up too?" she asked, suppressing a small giggle. She felt like a school girl all over again, and at last, the last of her awful morning had been swept clear out of her mind. When he didn't answer her question, she continued, "I hope you don't expect me to walk with this on."

Draco gave her an amused chuckle. "No, that would be disastrous," he agreed, finally taking her hand and placing it on his arm. "Hold on."

Side-along appariation was not one of her favorite forms of transportation, next to brooms. Before she could form any kind of complaint, however, Draco was spinning on the spot, sending them Merlin knew where.

The world suddenly got very hot and suffocating, and only her grasp on Draco's arm made her feel grounded. The spinning died down almost instantly, and after only a few tight breaths, they had landed somewhere firm.

Once she felt secure, and sure that she wasn't going to fall over from dizziness, Hermione released her grasp. "May I take this blindfold off now?" she asked.

Draco panted heavily somewhere to her right, and it took him several seconds to acknowledge her request. She felt him move behind her, his warmth just inches away from her back. In one quick movement he undid the knot and pulled the dark cloth away from her face.

Hermione blinked several times, trying to regain focus. She could only be glad that the alley they had appeared in was heavily shaded, as the bright sun on the street nearby looked blinding to her eyes. She took in the scene around her, Draco continued to sound, and look, quite tired. Their journey must have taken them very far from the Manor.

The street, and the people, she could see told her very little. There appeared to be a park across the road, and the people, although dressed in the latest fashions, were all clearly Muggles. "Where are we?" she asked, turning to look at him curiously.

"We aren't going that way," he answered, nodding towards the Muggles. She hadn't thought of that, although they were both dressed in wizarding robes. "I thought you'd been to France before?"

"France? Why France?" Hermione was feeling rather clueless today. There was nothing wrong with France, of course, she had quite enjoyed her previous visits to the country, but they were just as likely to be noticed in Wizarding France as they were in Diagon Alley.

"I have connections," he said simply, taking her hand and leading her farther into the shadowy alley. Near the back was a strange design in the brick work. Draco rested the palm of one hand in a shallow depression and suddenly they were sucked straight through.

They stumbled, or rather, _she _stumbled while he sauntered onto a cobbled path. Pinned between two buildings like the alley behind them, this path spilled into a color new world, clearly the magical portion of whatever town they had landed in.

"Keep your head down," Draco told her leading her out into the sunlight.

The street was filled with people, so it was easy enough to get themselves lost in the crowd. Draco navigated the busy street easily, he was obviously very familiar where ever it was that they were. For there location, Hermione could only be sure that it wasn't Paris.

They traveled down several different streets, taking shortcuts through more alleys, and once even through a shop itself, until, at last, it seemed they had arrived. She was glad too, she hadn't necessarily worn the most comfortable shoes for trekking a couple of miles.

The building in front of them was large, and quite beautiful. The stone work looked to be very old, and done by someone with great skill. The curly lettering outside read _Toujours Après, _Forever After.

"_Toujours Après," _Hermione whispered, letting the pretty language roll off her tongue. She didn't dare question, although she was a little frightened by that title.

"Yes," he acknowledged. "Ancelin has always had a way with words."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow, convinced that name meant something to her. "Ancelin, as in your cousin?"

"Mhm."

Well that made more sense then. Connections, bah. "I suppose you think that just because you're related to the owner, that they'll just give you the best seat in the place?"

"Yes," he answered simply, not that she was surprised. Draco might have grown up, but he certainly did think the world owed him a favor. "Dinner awaits."

For the umpteenth time, he gave her the slightest of tugs, pulling her after him as they stepped back out of the sunlight and into the dimly lit restaurant.


End file.
